Work with G. E. Cullen on urease[4] led to a mechanism that yields a kinetic equation observationally indistinguishable from the Henri–Michaelis–Menten equation, but based on different assumptions. Whereas Henri,[5] and later Michaelis and Menten,[6] treated the binding of substrate to free enzyme to produce an enzyme–substrate complex as an equilibrium, Van Slyke and Cullen treated it as an irreversible reaction:
Effectively, therefore, they assumed a steady-state process.[7] Their equation for the rate at substrate concentration ,
resembles the Henri–Michaelis–Menten equation but the constant in the denominator is interpreted differently.
Clinical chemistry
In 1914, Van Slyke was appointed chief chemist of the newly founded Rockefeller Institute Hospital, where he played a key part in developing the field of
clinical chemistry.[8] His work focused especially on the measurement of
gas and
electrolyte levels in
tissues,[1] for which he is considered to be one of the founders of modern quantitative blood chemistry.[8] He is also considered by many to have first popularised the term "clinical chemistry" in his two-volume work Quantitative Clinical Chemistry, co-published with
John P. Peters. The two-volume work was widely accepted in the medical world as the "Bible" of quantitative clinical chemistry.[1] During this period, he also served as managing editor of the
Journal of Biological Chemistry from 1914 to 1925.
Brookhaven
In 1948, approaching retirement age, Van Slyke took up a position as deputy director of biology and medicine of the newly-formed
Brookhaven National Laboratory. He held this position briefly before moving back into research at Brookhaven, which he continued until his death in 1971.[1]