In: Biology
Provide brief responses to the following questions relating to the free energy of a reaction: a. What is free energy of a reaction? b. What is the relationship between free energy, entropy, enthalpy, and temperature? c. What is meant by K or the equilibrium constant? What does it indicate? d. How do the concentrations of reactants influence the change in free energy? e. What are Vmax and KM? How do they relate to one another?
a) Free energy of a reaction
Free energy of a reaction is energy associated with it that can be used to do work.
b) Relationship between free energy, entropy, enthalpy, and temperature
The free energy of a system (G) is the sum of its enthalpy (H) plus the product of the temperature (Kelvin) and the entropy (S) of the system:
c. The equilibrium constant and its significance
The equilibrium constant, K, denotes the relationship between products and reactants of a reaction at equilibrium with respect to a specific unit.
At equilibrium, the rate of the forward and reverse reaction are equal.
d. Effect of concentrations of reactants on the change in free energy
Change in free energy () is affected by the concentrations of reactants and products as:
where is standard free energy
is ideal gas constant
is temperature constant
is concentration products or reactants
e. Vmax and Km
is maximum rate of reaction
is Michaelis-Menten constant
and are related by Michaelis-Menten equation which is expressed as:
where is the initial velocity of the reaction
and is concentration of substrate