Peroxidase enzymes oxidise phenolic compounds to produce free radicals which spontaneously polymerize and precipitate from solution. In order to be able to compare the performance of the various enzymes, a technique for the evaluation of the kinetic constants governing the reactions was developed. In order to do so, the reactions which occur between horseradish peroxidase, phenol, peroxide and aminoantipyrine in an assay were first defined then mathematically modeled. The kinetic model was applied to reactions conducted under a range of initial concentrations of peroxide and phenol. The model was calibrated against experimental data using a genetic algorithm. Based on this approach, an optimal set of kinetic parameters was determined which accurately reflect the trends in experimental data. Due to assumptions used in the development of the model and observations made on the laboratory and modeled data, it was found that the model was applicable to reactions in which the initial phenol concentration was above 1 mM and the peroxide concentration over 0.15 mM. These conditions can now be used to extend the application of the model to evaluate the kinetic parameters associated with other peroxidase enzymes.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.21313 |
| Date | January 1999 |
| Creators | Massam, Alexandra. |
| Contributors | Nicell, J. A. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Engineering (Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001656720, proquestno: MQ50641, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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