Abstract
An apparatus is described with various modifications for the observation of chemical relaxation upon fast temperature rises, 2 to 4° within a few microseconds. Several types of concentric and thermostated discharge tubes are described. The smallest type holds only 50 μl, which is thus ideal for investigating biological systems with the temperature jump method. Fast temperature rises are produced by discharges of capacitances through an electrolytic solution. Changes of the chemical system are detected spectrophotometrically by means of fast photomultipliers. The signal is amplified and observed oscillographically. Special emphasis is placed on high geometric flux (use of conical lenses).