238 



6. INTERACTIONS OF INHIBITORS WITH ENZYMES 



Table 6-12 

 CovALENT Bond Lengths " 



" These values have been selected from several sources, mainly by averaging the 

 bond lengths of appropriate compounds in the table in VVheland (1955, p. 696). There 

 is a variation of 0.03-0.10 A for most bonds depending on the compound of which they 

 are a part. 



The actual distance between interacting molecules is not d^ because the 

 molecules possess kinetic energy. The average kinetic energy of harmonic 

 oscillation is RT (0.617 kcal/mole at 37. 5°) and thus at equilibrium the total 

 energy of the interacting molecules is (p^ -\- RT, represented by the line 

 d^do in Fig. 6-9. The molecules, due to this thermal kinetic energy, will 

 oscillate between d^ and f/j- Since this oscillation is asymmetric, the mean 

 time-averaged distance between the molecides will he some value such as 

 f/o, greater than d^. 



The kinetic energy RT is, of course, the average energy and the distri- 

 bution of energy is expressed by the Maxwell-Boltzmann law. Thus indi- 



