Cellobiase has been isolated from the crude cellulase mixture of enzymes of Trichoderma viride using column chromatographic and ion-exchange methods. The steady-state kinetics of the hydrolysis of cellobiose have been investigated as a function of cellobiose and glucose concentrations, pH of the solution, temperature, and dielectric constant, using isopropanol–buffer mixtures. The results show that (i) there is a marked activation of the reaction by initial glucose concentrations of 4 × 10−3 M to 9 × 10−2 M and strong inhibition of the reaction at higher initial concentrations, (ii) the log rate – pH curve has a maximum at pH 5.2 and enzyme pK values of 3.5 and 6.8, (iii) the energy of activation at pH 5.1 is 10.2 kcal mol−1 over the temperature range 5–56 °C, and (iv) the rate decreases from 0 to 20% (v/v) isopropanol.The hydrolysis by cellobiase (EC 3.2.1.21) of p-nitrophenyl-β-D-glucoside was examined by pre-steady-state methods in which [Formula: see text], and by steady-state methods as a function of pH and temperature. The results show (i) a value for k2 of 21 s−1 at pH 7.0 (where k2 is the rate constant for the second step in the assumed two-intermediate mechanism [Formula: see text]) (ii) a log rate–pH curve, significantly different from that for hydrolysis of cellobiose, in which the rate increases with decreasing pH below pH 4.5, is constant in the region pH 4.5–6, and decreases above pH 6 (exhibiting an enzyme pK value of 7.3), and (iii) an activation energy of 12.5 kcal mol−1 at pH 5.7 over the temperature range 10–60 °C.
