Chemical Equilibrium

The study of a large number of chemical reactions reveals that most do not go to true completion. This is likewise true of enzymatically-catalyzed reactions. This is due to the reversibility of most reactions. In general:

^[4]

^[5]

where K⁺¹ is the forward reaction rate constant and K^-1 is the rate constant for the reverse reaction.

Combining the two reactions gives:

^[6]

Applying this general relationship to enzymatic reactions allows the equation:

^[7]

Equilbrium, a steady state condition, is reached when the forward reaction rates equal the backward rates. This is the basic equation upon which most enzyme activity studies are based.