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Energy diagrams for enzyme‐catalyzed reactions: Concepts and misconcepts
Author(s) -
Aledo J. Carlos,
Lobo Carolina,
del Valle Alicia Esteban
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
biochemistry and molecular biology education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.34
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1539-3429
pISSN - 1470-8175
DOI - 10.1002/bmb.2003.494031040240
Subject(s) - confusion , energy (signal processing) , chemistry , enzyme , catalysis , psychology , computer science , epistemology , theoretical physics , biochemistry , mathematics , philosophy , physics , statistics , psychoanalysis
Despite the utility that energy diagrams have as a teaching and learning tool, a survey of their use, in seven popular Biochemistry textbooks, reveals that there is certain confusion around this topic. In our opinion, this confusion arises from the reluctance of authors to consider and indicate the conditions under which the reaction being represented occurs. For an enzyme‐catalyzed reaction, it should be stressed that, under conditions where the overall reaction is spontaneous, each elementary step must exhibit a negative free energy change, and this must be properly reflected in the progression profile of the reaction.