Enzyme reaction rates at limited water activities.

A well-mixed powder consisting of dry urea and urease exposed to air containing discrete amounts of water vapor showed a release of carbon-14 dioxide above 60-percent relative humidity. The relative activity of urease followed the water-vapor adsorption isotherm of urease. The minimum amount of water required for the reaction observed was 1.3 moles per mole of side-chain polar groups of the urease protein.