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Specific Precipitation

IV. Quantitative Application of the Restricted Theory

Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri

Abstract

A quantitative theory of specific precipitation based on the lattice-hypothesis and the principle of kinetic selection has been found to agree reasonably well with experimental data of Heidelberger and Kendall for ovalbumin-precipitations. No arbitrary constants are necessary for the quantitative application of the theory.

The formulation of the theory is not yet rigorous, but has at least the value of bringing to light several new considerations implicit in the lattice-hypothesis.

The results achieved probably should not be taken as a confirmation of the lattice-hypothesis itself. However, if the independent evidence for the lattice-hypothesis is accepted, the restricted theory makes several contributions to the theory of the immune reaction. These are notably:

(a) A method for the measurement of immunological valence.

(b) A method for the measurement of equilibrium-constants and their thermodynamic consequences (13).

(c) The conclusion that the antibody of individual rabbit antisera and the surface of the antigen are sensibly homogeneous.

(d) The conclusion that nonspecific aggregation does not conspicuously disturb the course of reaction in the system studied.