Question
The average value for this quantity in the BRENDA database is only around 10 to the fifth inverse-molar per second, 10,000 times less than its “catalytically perfect” value. For 10 points each:
[10h] Identify this second-order rate constant that is occasionally called the specificity constant, or just “efficiency,” but is most often named for an algebraic expression.
ANSWER: kcat over Km [or kcat divided by Km or the turnover number over Michaelis–Menten constant]
[10m] An enzyme’s rate constant can be computed on a Lineweaver–Burke plot, which plots [emphasize] what function of the enzyme velocity on the y-axis?
ANSWER: reciprocal of enzyme velocity [or one-over velocity; or inverse velocity; or velocity to the negative one power; or mathematical equivalents]
[10e] The highest possible value for kcat over Km is about a billion inverse-molars per second: the rate constant for this microscopic process of mass transfer, which is rate-limiting for a perfect enzyme.
ANSWER: diffusion
Data
| Team | Opponent | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cornell A | Georgia Tech A | 0 | 10 | 10 | 20 |
| WUSTL B | Penn A | 0 | 10 | 10 | 20 |