Determination of inorganic sulphate in studies on the enzymic and non-enzymic hydrolysis of carbohydrate and other sulphate esters

Abstract

Three variations of a turbidimetric method for the determination of small amounts of inorganic sulphate have been described. One variation, covering the range 0-200 [mu]g of SO42" ion, is suitable for following the nonenzymic hydrolysis of monosaccharide sulphates by hydrazine; a 2d variation, covering the range 0-40 [mu]g of SO42- ion, has been developed for the assay of purified glyco-sulphatase preparations; the other variation, covering the range 0-12[mu]g. of SO42- ion, has been successfully used for the microanalysis of various ester sulphates. The method can be used in the presence of hydrazine, imidazole, various buffers, anions, cations, monosaccharide mono- and di-sulphate and other sulphate esters. SO42-, Ba2+ and disulphate. It has also been demonstrated that heterogeneity of substrate is not responsible for the anomalous behavior of Littorina glyco-sulphatase. Attempts to detect carbohydrate sulphatases in mammalian tissues are also described.