Phenolphthalein phosphate

Alkaline phosphatase catalyzes the dephosphorylation of a mmber of artificial substrates ( ) including 3-glycerophosphate, phenylphosphate, p-nitrophenylphosphate, thymolphthalein phosphate, and phenolphthalein phosphate. In addition, as shown recently for bacterial and human enzymes, alkaline phosphatase simultaneously catalyzes the transphosphorylation of a suitable substance which accepts the phosphoryl radical, thereby preventing the accumulation of phosphate in the reaction mediim (25). 

Alkaline phosphomonoesterase (EC 3.1.3.1). The existence of a phosphatase in milk was first recognized in 1925. Subsequently characterized as an alkaline phosphatase, it became significant when it was shown that the time-temperature combinations required for the thermal inactivation of alkaline phosphatase were slightly more severe than those required to destroy Mycobacterium tuberculosis, then the target micro-organism for pasteurization. The enzyme is readily assayed, and a test procedure based on alkaline phosphatase inactivation was developed for routine quality control of milk pasteurization. Several major modifications of the test have been developed. The usual substrates are phenyl phosphate, p-nitrophenyl-phosphate or phenolphthalein phosphate which are hydrolysed to inorganic phosphate and phenol, p-nitrophenol or phenolphthalein, respectively ... 

H18. Huggins, C., and Talalay, P., Sodium phenolphthalein phosphate as a substrate for phosphatase tests. J. Biol. Chem. 159, 399-410 (1945). 

However, the acid phosphatase activity of rat iiver lysosomes has recently been resolved into at least two enzymes [531]. Acid phosphatase is used in subcellular fractionation studies as a marker enzyme for lysosomes. Both acid phosphatase [E.C. 3.1.3.2] and alkaline phosphatase [E.C. 3.1.3.1] activities should not be confused with other specific phosphatases with high specificity requirements for substrate, e.g. glucose-6-phos-phatase, fructose-l,6-diphosphatase, phosphatidate phosphatase. Several assay procedures are available, u.v. estimation can be achieved using phosphoenolpyruvate as a substrate and lactate dehydrogenase in an indicator reaction [539]. Colorimetric assays can be based upon the liberation of phenol from phenylphosphate [540], upon the Uberation of phosphate from sodium /3-glycerophosphate [541], upon the hydrolysis of sodium phenolphthalein phosphate [542], or upon the hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl phosphate [543]. 

In some methods, substrates are used which yield coloured products, e.g. p-nitrophenylphosphate (in the Bessey-Lowry-Brock method), thymolphthalein phosphate or phenolphthalein phosphate. These substrates can be used for the kinetic measurement of enzymic activity, unlike the previous methods which are end-point assays. 

Marine diesels Again a wide number of formulations are in use. The inhibitors commonly employed include nitrites, borates and phosphates. Typical formulations include a 1 1 nitrite borax mixture at 1250-2000 p.p.m. and pH 8-5-9-0 and 1250-2 000 p.p.m. of nitrite with addition of tri-sodium phosphate to give phenolphthalein alkalinity. 

NOTE Acid phosphates and SHMP may attack chemical tanks and associated equipment, so acid-resistant equipment should be specified. Alternatively, the addition of caustic up to a pH level of 8.2 to 8.3 (the production of a pink color when tested with phenolphthalein) provides adequate protection. A further alternative is to add neutralizing amine to the tank. 

Primarily the sum of carbonate, bicarbonate and hydrate ions in water, but phosphate, silicate etc. may also contribute partially to alkalinity. Normally expressed as ppm (mg/1) CaC03. Phenolphthalein alkalinity (P Aik.) is that portion of alkalinity titrated with acid to pH 8.2 end-point, while total alkalinity (T Aik. or M Aik.) is that titrated with methyl orange indicator to pH 4.2 endpoint. 

The release of inorganic phosphate may be assayed but the other product is usually determined. Phenol is colourless but forms a coloured complex on reaction with one of several reagents, e.g. 2,6-dichloroquinonechloroimide, with which it forms a blue complex. p-Nitrophenol is yellow while phenolphthalein is red at the alkaline pH of the assay (10) and hence the concentration of either of these may be determined easily. 

Fractionation of milk and titration of the fractions have been of considerable value. Rice and Markley (1924) made an attempt to assign contributions of the various milk components to titratable acidity. One scheme utilizes oxalate to precipitate calcium and rennet to remove the calcium caseinate phosphate micelles (Horst 1947 Ling 1936 Pyne and Ryan 1950). As formulated by Ling, the scheme involves titrations of milk, oxalated milk, rennet whey, and oxalated rennet whey to the phenolphthalein endpoint. From such titrations, Ling calculated that the caseinate contributed about 0.8 mEq of the total titer of 2.2 mEq/100 ml (0.19% lactic acid) in certain milks that he analyzed. These data are consistent with calculations based on the concentrations of phosphate and proteins present (Walstra and Jenness 1984). The casein, serum proteins, colloidal inorganic phosphorus, and dissolved inorganic phosphorus were accounted for by van der Have et al (1979) in their equation relating the titratable acidity of individual cow s milks to the composition. The casein and phosphates account for the major part of the titratable acidity of fresh milk. 

In practice it is often more convenient to measure the release of a phenol from an aryl phosphomonoester. Standard serum phosphatase methods employ phenyl phosphate (188), p-nitrophenyl phosphate (189), phenolphthalein monophosphate (140), or thymolphthalein monophosphate (141) where the phenol released can be determined spectrophoto-metrically [only the Bodansky method (13) uses a Pi determination]. A number of fluorogenic substrates have been used for phosphatase studies, e.g., jS-naphthyl phosphate (30, 148), 4-methylumbelliferyl phosphate (143), and 3-O-methylfluorescein phosphate (144) The main advantage here is the much greater sensitivity of fluorescence as compared with spectrophotometric assays as little as 1 pmole of 4-methyl-umbelliferone can be detected in continuous assay. 

Appleyard (64) noted that addition of ethanol to incubation mixtures of sodium phenolphthalein diphosphate with prostatic extract increased the rate of free phenolphthalein formation. Phosphate ion failed to show a comparable increase, and this discrepancy was attributed to transphosphorylation. Phosphoryl transfer may be effected by prostatic phosphatase to acceptors other than solvent (65-67). Nigam and Fishman (25) studied phosphoryl transfer under conditions of 60-80% transfer to an acceptor. In the case of 1,4-butanediol, the optimal concentration was 0.8 M. In this experiment, water molecules outnumbered acceptor molecules by 55/0.8 or 70-fold. In spite of this, transfer far exceeded hydrolysis. Phosphoryl transfer to aliphatic alcohols can be easily measured when phosphates are used as donor compounds. The difference between alcohol formation from the substrate and phosphate ion production is a measure of the transfer reaction. Table IX (25) shows that four different substrates can transfer phosphoryl to butanediol with high efficiency. Table X (25) shows that aliphatic alcohols are good acceptors... 

Determination of Orthophosphates.—(1) With Silver Nitrate.— This depends upon the precipitation of silver orthophosphate in solutions of low and controlled acidity. In the assay of commercial 85 per cent, phosphoric acid of density 1-710 the syrup is diluted to a convenient volume and an aliquot part is taken which contains about 0-1 gram of H3P04. It is neutralised to phenolphthalein with approximately decinormal alkali (free from chloride). 50 c.c. of decinormal silver nitrate are then added while the solution is kept neutral to litmus by stirring in zinc oxide or a suspension of the hydroxide. The whole or a measured part of the filtered solution is acidified with nitric acid and, after the addition of ferric alum, the unused silver nitrate is titrated with standard decinormal ammonium thiocyanate in the usual manner. Alkali phosphates may also be determined in this way. 

This reaction is also used in the method of Holleman 2 as modified by Wilkie.3 A phosphate solution containing phenolphthalein is reddened by the addition of alkali, then just decolorised with nitric acid. An excess of standard silver nitrate is then added and decinormal sodium acetate and alkali to slight pink colour, followed by 2 c.c. of decinormal H2S04. The solution is diluted and filtered and the excess of silver determined by titration with decinormal ammonium thiocyanate. 

---