BIOLOGY Volume 1 - A Guide to General Biology - 2004

4. ENZYMES

4.3. Factors Affecting Enzyme Reaction Rates

4.3.2. Substrate Concentration

At a given Enzyme Concentration, The rate of an enzymatic reaction increases with an increase in Substrate Concentration (Fig. 4.7). The theoretical maximum reaction rate Vmax is never truly reached, but a point is eventually reached where any further increase in substrate concentration no longer produces a noticeable change in the reaction rate. This occurs because, at high substrate concentrations, the active sites of the enzyme molecules are practically saturated at any given moment. Thus, no matter how much excess substrate is present, it can only bind to the enzyme after the previously formed enzyme-substrate complex dissociates into product and free enzyme.

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Fig. 4.7. Effect of Substrate concentration on the rate of an enzymatic reaction.



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