How to calculate kcat?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking about the method to calculate kcat, which is a rate constant for enzyme-catalyzed reactions. The inquiry involves understanding the relationship between enzyme concentration and the rate of a reaction, typically expressed as turnover number.
Answer
kcat = Vmax / [E] total
The final answer is the catalytic constant (kcat) is calculated using the formula: kcat = Vmax / [E] total
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is the catalytic constant (kcat) is calculated using the formula: kcat = Vmax / [E] total
More Information
kcat is also referred to as the turnover number, which denotes the number of substrate molecules converted to product per enzyme molecule per second.
Tips
A common mistake is to incorrectly measure or use the units for Vmax and [E] total. Ensure that both are in consistent units usually molarity (M) for [E] and Molarity per second (M/s) for Vmax.
Sources
- Enzyme Kinetics: Kcat/Km - NCBI - ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Michaelis-Menten Kinetics - ChemLibreTexts - chem.libretexts.org
- Enzyme Catalysis - Khan Academy - khanacademy.org
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