Suppose you conduct an experiment in the laboratory in which you add increasing amounts of substrate to a solution containing an enzyme and a pH buffer. You incubate the container at the optimal temperature for the enzyme. Each time you add more substrate, you measure the rate of the reaction. Also suppose that you graph the results such that the x-axis shows the substrate concentration and the y-axis shows the resulting reaction rate. What will you find over time?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

At first, the rate of the reaction will increase rapidly as there is excess substrate available for the enzyme to bind to. However, as the concentration of substrate approaches the enzyme's saturation point, the rate of the reaction will taper off and eventually plateau. This is because all enzyme molecules are engaged in the reaction and additional substrate does not increase the reaction rate.

Suppose You Conduct an Experiment in the Laboratory in Which