Abstract

1. It has been shown that extracts of animal tissues have the power of reducing symmetrical trinitrotoluene in vitro. At least a portion of the resulting product or products behaved as a diazotizable amino compound.

2. This reducing power was very largely destroyed by heating to 80°C. for 10 minutes. It was augmented by anaerobic conditions and very largely inhibited by oxygenation.

3. The reducing effect was partially removed by washing and restored by added succinate and discharged again by malonate.

4. These facts were interpreted as indicative of the presence of an enzyme concerned in the reduction.