The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between substrate concentration and initial reaction rate provided that substrate concentration is much greater than enzyme concentration. Enzymes are essential to life as they are required for many vital metabolic reactions to occur. To adequately explain the properties of enzymes, it is assumed that an enzyme-controlled reaction takes place through an enzyme-substrate complex by the lock and key mechanism. It is hypothesized that a greater concentration of product is achieved through an increased substrate concentration. P-nitroaniline (p-na) is produced from Nα-Benzoyl-DL-Arginine p-nitroanilide hydrochloride (BAPA) with the aid of the enzyme trypsin. Analyzing the initial reaction rates that were calculated from p-na concentration in different test tubes which contained varying concentrations of BAPA, the relative contribution of substrate availability on initial reaction rate was accessed. Initial reaction rates significantly increased at higher initial concentrations of BAPA. However, at a BAPA concentration above 0.60mM, there was no significant increase in initial reaction rate. This suggests that a higher initial reaction rate achieved at a raised initial BAPA concentration from lower levels was due to increases in reactions that formed p-nitroaniline. The effects from elevating initial BAPA concentration to 0.60mM and above proved insignificant, which may indicate enzyme saturation.
L14N1S04Enzyme
Jenny Shin; Ivan Rickard Liow
Introduction
This study investigates the effect of substrate concentration on the initial rate of reaction when its concentration is much greater than the enzyme concentration. It is hypothesized that the initial rate of a chemical reaction increases as the substrate concentration becomes more abundant. A possible explanation to this phenomenon could be due to the increased
Cited: Moyes, C.D. and Schulte, P.M. (2008). Principles of Animal Physiology 2nd Edition. San Francisco. Pearson Education Inc.