The effects of mercurial compounds on invertase.

Mercuric chloride, merbromin, Thiomerin and mercurin are strong inhibitors of invertase. The inhibition produced by mercuric chloride is competitive. The inhibition of invertase by mercuric chloride may be reversed by 2,3-dimercaptopropanol. Invertase may be added to the list of enzymes which may be inactivated by mercurials and reactivated by 2,3-dimercapto-propanol. This enzyme has the novel property of having the mercuric chloride inhibition augmented by cysteine and glutathione.