Week 9: Reaction kinetics and reversible reactions

Question 1

Explain the origin of the oscillations in some oscillatory chemical reactions.

Answer 1

From nonlinear properties of the reactions.

Question 2

What are the conditions for using quasi-steady state approximation (QSSA) method?

Answer 2

For QSSA method to be applicable, we need x to be at a quasi steady state, x_ss, implying dx_ss/dt = 0.

Question 3

List two types of models for enzyme reactions.

Answer 3

Lock and key model
Induced fit model

Question 4

What do the different symbols mean in a simple enzyme reaction?

Answer 4

s = [S]: substrate (reactant)
e = [E]: enzyme
x = [ES]: substrate/enzyme complex
p = [P]: product

Question 5

Describe the experimental equipment you would need to perform an experiment on the kinetics of a single enzyme.

Answer 5

Histogram the reaction times obtained using single molecule fluorescence microscopy.

A TIRF microscope adapted for single molecules is needed and some fluorescently labelled molecules.