Chemical Kinetics: Enzymes

Chemical Kinetics is the branch of chemistry that studies the speed at which a chemical reaction occur and the factor that influence this speed. What is meant by the speed of a reaction is the rate at which the concentrations of reactants and products change within a time period. Some reactions occur almost instantaneously, while others take days or years. Chemical kinetics understanding I used in the process of designing drugs, controlling pollution and the processing of food. Most of the time chemical kinetics is used to speed or to increase the rate of a reaction rather than to maximize the amount of product. The rate of a reaction is often expressed in terms of change in concentration (Δ [ ]) per unit of time (Δ t). We can measure the rate of a reaction by monitoring either the decrease in concentration (molarity) of the reactant or the increase in the product concentration.

Considering the following hypothetical reaction:

A 2B

Where A molecules are being converted to B molecules, we can say that the rate of this reaction would be:

_ Δ [A] (with respect to the decrease in A concentration)

Δ t

1 Δ [B] (with respect to the increase in B concentration)

2 Δ t

Many factors influence rates of chemical reactions. Some of these factors include: the nature of reactants, for example the formation of salts, acid-base reactions, and exchange of ions are fast reactions, while in reactions where bigger molecules are formed or break apart are typically slow; temperature, frequently, the higher the temperature, the faster the reaction; concentration effect, the reliance of reaction rates on concentrations are called rate laws. Rate laws are expressions of rates in terms of the concentra...

... middle of paper ...

...t being the only target of these enzymes they also make changes retinol, steroids, and fatty acids. The collection of different kinds of alcohol dehydrogenase guarantees that there will always be one that is just perfect for the each task. This enzyme size is 80,000 g/mol, its charge is pI = 5.4, and it optimal pH I 8.6.

Works Cited

1. ADH. http://bio.chem.niu.edu/Chem570/Templates/ADH/

2. Alcohol Dehydrogenase. http://florey.biosci.uq.oz.au/Html/Images/Galleria/dulley/text.html

3. Alcohol Dehydrogenase. http://www.lmcp.jussieu.fr/iucr-top/comm/cteach/pamphlets/15/node30.html

4. Worthington Price List. Alcohol Dehydrogenase http://www.worthington-biochem.com/priceList/A/AlcoholD.html

http://www.mssc.edu/biology/B305/GTS/ss98/cjd/alcoholdh.htm

http://www.uni-saarland.de/~mkiefer/coenz.htm

http://www.chm.davidson.edu/vce/kinetics/ReactionRates.html