Enzyme Concentration and Reaction Rate
This page explores how enzyme concentration affects the rate of enzymatic reactions.
The turnover rate of an enzyme refers to the number of substrate molecules it can act on in a given time.
Highlight: When investigating the effect of a factor on reaction rate, all other factors should be kept constant and at optimum levels.
Increasing enzyme concentration generally results in an increased reaction rate, provided all other factors are kept constant at their optimum levels.
Example: At higher enzyme concentrations, reactions are faster because more active sites are available for substrate binding.
However, beyond a certain point, increasing enzyme concentration no longer affects the reaction rate. This occurs when substrate concentration becomes a limiting factor.
The relationship between enzyme concentration and reaction rate is typically represented by a graph showing an initial linear increase followed by a plateau.