Reaction Kinetic Studies of the Antigen Antibody Reaction

By the combined use of fluorescence quenching, fluorescence polarization, light scattering, and saturated (NH4)2SO4 precipitation techniques the kinetics of the various phases of the antigen antibody reaction between conalbumin and anticonalbumin was studied. It was shown that the kinetic course of the reaction depended on the mole ratio of antigen to antibody; in the Ab excess zone the reaction consisted of two soluble phases, a rapid primary reaction and a much slower secondary reaction (lattice formation), but in the Ag excess zone there was only one phase. The Q10 of the reaction was 1.25 in the large Ab excess zone and 1.16 in the large Ag excess zone, indicating that temperature had little effect on the kinetics of the reaction either in the Ab excess zone or the Ag excess zone. The optimum pH of the reaction was 7.5, the optimum ionic strength in the range of 0.1 to 0.2.