W25 L1 - Enzyme Kinetics

NO L2 fro W25 Flashcards covering enzyme kinetics, rate laws, and the Michaelis-Menten equation.

What factors can affect enzymes?

pH, temperature, effectors, and substrate concentration.

What are effectors?

Substances that can either inhibit (inhibitors) or activate (activators) an enzyme.

How is the rate of a reaction defined?

The change in concentration per time unit (Δconcentration / Δtime).

What is the general rate law?

rate = k * s^m (k = rate constant, s = substrate concentration, m = rate order).

What is the rate constant (k)?

A positive number that indicates how fast a reaction happens; if k is zero, there is no reaction.

What is the rate order (m)?

A mathematical concept that can be any number (whole, fraction, negative, etc.) and does not have a physical meaning, but is useful for making the general rate law an equation.

What is a zero order reaction?

A reaction where the rate equals k (the rate constant) and does not depend on substrate concentration (rate = k * s^0 = k).

What is a first order reaction?

A reaction where the rate is directly proportional to the substrate concentration (rate = k * s^1).

Who are the researchers that worked measurements for the rate of an enzyme?

Leonor Michaelis and Maud Menten.

What is the Michaelis-Menten plot?

A graph that plots the rate of an enzyme reaction depending on the substrate concentration.

What is the Michaelis-Menten equation?

v = Vmax * s / (Km + s)

List one restriction that can occur when applying the Michaelis-Menten equation

The substrate concentration must be much larger than the enzyme concentration.

What is an irreversible process in the context of the Michaelis-Menten equation?

The enzyme plus product does not go back to the enzyme substrate complex.