PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - ROBERT J. DUMMEL AU - MICHAEL N. BERRY AU - ERNEST KUN TI - Studies with Specific Enzyme Inhibitors DP - 1971 Jul 01 TA - Molecular Pharmacology PG - 367--374 VI - 7 IP - 4 4099 - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/7/4/367.short 4100 - http://molpharm.aspetjournals.org/content/7/4/367.full SO - Mol Pharmacol1971 Jul 01; 7 AB - The kinetics of spontaneous and metal ion-catalyzed decarboxylation of oxalacetic and fluorooxalacetic acids was determined by enzymatic analyses of keto acids. Decarboxylation of fluorooxalacetate to enol-fluoropyruvate and subsequent tautomerization to keto-fluoropyruvate were followed by spectrophotometric analysis of enol-fluoropyruvate and some of its metal ion complexes. Rate equations for the specific case of two consecutive irreversible reactions, where k1 > k2, were derived and tested experimentally. Nonenzymatic catalytic decarboxylation of fluorooxalacetate accounts for fluoropyruvate formation in the presence of liver parenchymal cell suspensions. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We are much indebted to Dr. L. Peller and Dr. H. D. Landahl for helpful criticism and advice related to kinetics, and to D H. M. Martinez for his kind help in computer programming.