Pressure inside Small Cavities: A Possible Factor in Enzyme Catalysis and Selectivity
✍ Scribed by Martin Saunders
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2003
- Tongue
- German
- Weight
- 76 KB
- Volume
- 86
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0018-019X
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✦ Synopsis
Abstract
There are many different examples where atoms or molecules are found in cavities within larger (cage) molecules. The term host–guest chemistry has been used to describe this situation. This paper considers the possibility that pressure within the cavities can be measured or calculated in several possible ways. The various values for pressure for different systems can serve to compare them. It is suggested that pressure might be related to the rate of escape of the contents through an opening in the cage wall and to the equilibrium between inside and outside. Furthermore, in the case of substrates within enzyme active sites, it is suggested that the pressure is anisotropic. Pressure localized along certain directions may play an important role in the catalytic function of the enzyme.