We will first consider the effects of the variations of two physical factors, temperature and pH. We will then examine certain chemical agents (or effectors) which can modify the kinetics of enzymatic reactions and are either activators or inhibitors. 1. Effect of Temperature: The study of the initial velocity of an enzymatic reaction as a function of temperature reveals two [...]
A catalyst — whether chemical or biological — acts by increasing the velocity of reactions. We will now examine the kinetics of enzymatic reactions. The velocity of an enzymatic reaction is generally followed up by measuring the quantity of substrate transformed per unit time; one can also record the quantity of the product (or one of the products) formed by [...]
Specificity is one of the main characteristics of enzymes. It prevents the formation of by-products which happens with chemical catalysts. Specificity may be observed on the one hand in the type of reaction catalyzed by the enzyme, and on the other hand in the substrate of the reaction. Reaction-Related Specificity: A given substrate, an α-amino acid for example, can undergo [...]