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Specific Activity Formula:
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Specific activity is a measure of enzyme purity and catalytic efficiency, defined as the amount of enzyme activity per milligram of total protein. It is commonly expressed in units per milligram (U/mg).
The calculator uses the specific activity formula:
Where:
Explanation: This calculation provides a standardized measure of enzyme purity by normalizing the enzymatic activity to the total protein content.
Details: Specific activity is crucial for assessing enzyme purity during purification processes, comparing different enzyme preparations, and determining the catalytic efficiency of enzymes in biochemical research.
Tips: Enter enzyme activity in units (U) and protein concentration in mg/ml. Both values must be positive numbers greater than zero for accurate calculation.
Q1: What is a unit of enzyme activity?
A: One unit (U) of enzyme activity is defined as the amount of enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of 1 micromole of substrate per minute under specified conditions.
Q2: Why is specific activity important in enzyme purification?
A: Specific activity increases as impurities are removed during purification, making it a key indicator of purification efficiency and enzyme purity.
Q3: What factors can affect specific activity measurements?
A: Temperature, pH, substrate concentration, presence of inhibitors, and measurement techniques can all influence specific activity results.
Q4: How does specific activity relate to enzyme kinetics?
A: Specific activity is related to the turnover number (kcat) of an enzyme, which describes the number of substrate molecules converted per enzyme molecule per second.
Q5: Can specific activity be used to compare different enzymes?
A: While specific activity is useful for comparing different preparations of the same enzyme, it should not be used to compare different enzymes as their catalytic efficiencies and molecular weights vary.