In this paper we show that the usual assumption in studies of the temperature variation of equilibrium constants for equilibria of the form A + B T± AB that a plot of In K vs. 1/T (K = equilibrium constant, T = temperature in degrees kelvin) is a straight line with slope equal to -AHVH/R (AHVH = van't Hoff or apparent enthalpy, R = gas constant) is not valid in many cases. In all the cases considered here, AHVH is temperature dependent and is significantly different from the true or calorimetrically measured enthalpy, and the respective values for ACp are also significantly different.The ready availability of sensitive isothermal titration calorimeters makes possible the accurate determination of both enthalpies and equilibrium constants on the same sample for a wide variety of processes. In view of this situation, detailed comparisons of calorimetrically determined enthalpies of reaction (AHcal) and enthalpies derived from equilibrium constants by means of the van't Hoff equation (AHVH) highlighted by the fact that ACp as evaluated from the equilibrium constants is -0.287 kcal-K-1 mol-1, which is 45% larger in magnitude than that derived from the observed enthalpies-namely, -0.198 kcal K-1 mol-'.To check on the possibility that a significant contribution to AHcal might arise from an exchange of protons between the protein and the buffer, the two reactants were mixed in the absence of buffer at pH 5.5 at -25°C. The results indicated that the reaction leads to the liberation of 0.025 ± 0.05 mol of HI per mol of protein, corresponding in acetate buffer to -0.05 kcal mol-1 due to buffer protonation and probably a similar, perhaps compensating, contribution due to deprotonation of the protein.