In: Biology
What role does diffusion play in enzyme catalyzed reactions?
The role does diffusion play in enzyme catalyzed reactions:
The number of substrate molecules are going to be converted into product molecules in a certain time is mainly referred as turn over number of enzyme –catalyzed reactions, which is dependent on “diffusion of enzymes & substrates” into the aqueous environment. This rate is represented by a specificity constant Kcat/Km, in which the upper limit to Kcat/Km is meticulously imposed “based on the rate of diffusion of “enzyme & substrate diffusion” during the reactions, as diffusion control limit, 10⁸ to 10⁹ M⁻¹s⁻¹ . The enzyme-catalyzed reactions attain catalytic perfection at this diffusion-controlled limit of 10⁸ to 10⁹ M⁻¹s⁻¹. Kinetic perfection of catalytic perfection cannot achieve perfection if diffusion-controlled limit higher than 10⁸ to 10⁹ M⁻¹s⁻¹