Physical Chemistry : Reaction Kinetics
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Example Question #5 : Inhibitors
__________ inhibitors bind to the active site and __________ inhibitors alter the binding affinity of substrate and catalyst.
Competitive . . . noncompetitive
Noncompetitive . . . competitive
Competitive . . . competitive
Noncompetitive . . . noncompetitive
Competitive . . . competitive
There are two main types of inhibitors. Competitive inhibitors bind to the active site of the catalyst and prevent substrate from binding. This phenomenon causes a decreasing in the binding affinity of substrate and catalyst. However, competitive inhibitors can be overcome by adding excess substrates. The substrates will dissociate the competitive inhibitor and carry out the reaction; therefore, the reaction can still be carried out at a faster rate and the maximum rate of reaction is not altered.
Noncompetitive inhibitors bind to the catalyst at an allosteric site. They alter the conformation of the active site and prevent substrate binding. They cannot be overcome by addition of excess substrate; therefore, they lower the maximum rate of reaction.
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