The study of enzymatically catalyzed reactions gives insight into the study of organic reaction mechanisms in general, and into the topic of catalysis especially. This course will explore the methods and frameworks for determining mechanisms of enzymatic reactions. These methods are based on a firm foundation of chemical kinetics and organic reaction mechanisms. As the course progresses, the concepts of mechanism and its elucidation is applied to enzymatic processes as we discuss reaction intermediates and stereochemistry of enzymatic reactions. In the latter part of the course, the use of altered reactants, including mechanism-based inactivators, is compared to the use of genetically modified enzymes as tools for probing enzymatic reactions.
Evaluation is based on problem sets, quizzes, a midterm exam, a paper, and a final exam.