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Practice problems for Lecture 3.

In the figure below, which lettered value best fits each of the descriptions that come after the
figure (Questions 3-7). Any letter can be used more than once and some letters may not be
needed.

This value in the figure above dictates the concentrations of reactants at steady state and is
not changed by either heat or the presence of a catalyst. ___________ (insert some letter, a-e)

1. This value in the figure above dictates the forward reaction rate constant, at any
temperature, with or without a catalyst. ___________ (insert some letter, a-e)

2. This value in the figure above is affected by heat but not by the presence of a catalyst ________
(insert some letter, a-e)

3. This value in the figure above is affected by the presence of a catalyst but not by heat.
________ (insert some letter, a-e)

4. This value in the figure above dictates the forward rate constant and is decreased by both
heat and a catalyst. -________ (insert some letter, a-e)

5. Of the following (oxygen, water, potential energy and photosynthesis), which is essential for
life?

a) All
b) Water and either oxygen or photosynthesis
c) Water, and some source of potential energy
d) Oxygen and water
e) Just water
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6. What are essential properties of a good biological fuel?
a) Spontaneous combustion.
b) Flammability
c) A sufficiently large activation energy to prevent reaction
d) A sufficiently small activation every to overcome by
catalysis.
e) Both c and d

7. How would you push the unfavorable reaction, A+B->C+D, in the forward direction
(toward C+D)?
a) Remove A
b) Heat the solution
c) Reduce the concentration of C and D
d) Reduce the concentration of A and B
e) Add an enzyme that catalyses the reaction

8. Why does heat increase the forward rate of the reaction A + B = C + D?

A. It shifts the equilibrium point toward C + D.
B. It lowers the transition state energy.
C. It raises the energy of the substrates (A and B) as well that the products (C and D)
D. It reduces the activation energy of the forward reaction.
E. Both C and D are true.

9. In the reaction A + B C + D what determines the rate of the back reaction (to the left)?
A. The concentration of A and B
B. The concentration of C and D
C. The back rate constant (kB)
D. The activation energy for the back reaction
E. The product obtained by multiplying choice B and choice C
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Answer the questions below using letters from the diagram which describes a reaction of A + B
C+ D. Some letters may not be required.

10. This value, together with the concentrations of the A and B dictate the rate of the forward reaction
(choose one from A, B, C, D, or E above)

11. This value is unaffected by heat or the presence of a catalyst.

(choose one from A, B, C, D, or E above)

12. At equilibrium this value dictates the value of the ratio ([A] x [B]) / ([C] x [D])
(choose one from A, B, C, D, or E above)

13. If all life runs on redox chemistry, then the primitive earth must have had donor and acceptor
molecules ready before life arose. What prevented all the reactions that were possible from
simply occurring and taking the system to steady state (equilibrium) before life could arise?
(Remember there was lots of time for this)
A. The transition energy prevented many reactions from occurring at an appreciable rate
until some catalysts were present.
B. The reactions do occur spontaneously but the potential difference between donor and
recipients is maintained because more compounds (both oxidized and reduced) are added
continuously.
C. The reactions occurred for inorganic compounds but organic compounds failed to react
because they needed to wait for living things.
D. The reactions did destroy the fuel, but life used some new energy from outer space to get
started.
E. Both A and B contributed to the solution.
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In the figure above, the letters A, B, C, D, E represent values that can be used
to answer the questions below (Some questions may ask you to fill TWO blanks)
14. Which TWO values are NOT affected by heat? (FILL IN TWO
BUBBLES)
15 Which TWO values are affected by BOTH heat AND catalysis
16 Which value would be changed by a catalyst but not by heat?
17 Which single value dictates the forward rate constant (kF)
18 Which SINGLE value determines the ratio of reactant concentrations
(PxQ)/(MxN) at equilibrium?
19. What single value has no effect on the reaction rate, even far from equilibrium.
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M, N are the concentrations of the two input reactants and P, Q are the concentrations of
product reactants (P,Q). Values of kF and kR are the rate constants for the forward and
reverse reactions, respectively.

20 What three values (taken from the figure diagram) can together dictate the rate of the
forward reaction (left to right as written).
A. kF , P , Q
B. kR , M, P
C. kR , P, Q
D. kF , M , N
E. kF , M, P

21 What combination of values (determined before the reaction is started) dictates the
ratio of reactant concentrations (MxN)/(PxQ) at equilibrium?
A. M and N and Q and P
B. kF and kR
C. M and N
D. kF and M and N
E. M and N and kR

22. Under which conditions (below) will the reverse reaction completely stop.
(Pick the ONE best answer)
A. When either P or Q is zero
B. When both P and Q are zero.
C. When the reaction has reached steady state (equilibrium)
D. Only A or B will stop it
E. A, B or C will stop it.

We discussed a generic reaction diagrammed below. Consider this reaction and try the following
questions.
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23. Which symbols in the expression contribute to defining the forward reaction rate at any
moment? (PICK ONE)
a) kF kR
b) A, B, kR
c) A, B, kF
d) A B C D
e) C D kR

24. Which symbols in the above diagram represent things that can be used NOW to predict the
conditions that will exist after the reaction has come to steady state? (PICK ONE)
a) kF kR
b) A, B, kR
c) A, B, kF
d) A B C D
e) C D k

At the right is a slide from one of the lectures.

The figure depicts a generic reaction started by
combining equal amounts of compounds A and B.
Consider this figure and answer the following
questions.

25. Whats going on in the region marked steady state ? PICK TWO
a.) You ran out of A and B
b.) The rates of the two reactions (forward and backward) are equal.
c.) The two reactions (forward and backward) have stopped.
d.) The two reactions (forward and backward) are both continuing to occur.
e.) The reaction catalyst has been inactivated.

26. What would happen to the lines for each reaction in the diagram above if you added an
amount of A and B equal to that seen at the indicated steady state? (PICK TWO)
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a.) Nothing would happen.
b) The line describing A + B would rise to indicate a two fold increase.
c) The line describing C + D would increase two fold
d) The level of both lines would increase
e) A new steady state would be reached.

At the right is a diagram of the ATP molecule

including the polyphosphate business end and
the adenosine molecule to which it is attached.
The two high energy phosphoric acid anhydride
bonds connect phosphate residues. Either bond
(left or right) can be cleaved when ATP is used to
drive a reaction.

27 Which bond would you cleave under the indicated conditions? (PICK TWO)
a) The left one for a standard reaction.
b) The right one when the reaction requires more energy (or less reversibility) than
needed for a standard reaction.
c) Either bond could be cleaved for any reaction since they are essentially identical
d) The right bond should be cleaved for a standard reaction
e) The left one should be cleaved when more energy (or less reversibility) is needed

28. For any given reaction involving ATP, how does the cell know which high energy bond to
break ? (PICK TWO that together give an explanation)
a) It cant tell and breaks the two bonds with equal probability.
b) For any reaction one bond is chosen at random and the speed of the reaction is
affected accordingly.
c) Each metabolic reaction is catalyzed by an enzyme that binds its substrates and
catalyzes bond cleavage.
d) Enzymes for reactions that require more energy recognize ATP in a way that leads
them to catalyze breakage of the appropriate bond.
e) The enzyme tries both bonds and cleaves the one that works best.
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In the figure above, the letters A, B, C, D, E represent values that can be used
to answer the questions below.
29. Which TWO values are NOT affected by heat? (FILL IN TWO BUBBLES)

30 Which TWO values are affected by BOTH heat AND catalysis?

31 Which value would be changed by a catalyst but not by heat?

32 Which SINGLE value dictates the forward rate constant (kF) with and
without a catalyst?

33 Which SINGLE value determines the ratio of reactant concentrations

(PxQ)/(MxN) at equilibrium?

34. What SINGLE value has no effect on the reaction rate, even far from
equilibrium?

Below is a diagram of the energy changes in the reaction M + N to P + Q.

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Enter one of the four letters (A-E) from the diagram to answer the questions below
35 The transition state energy required for this reaction ____________
36 The energy that dictates the forward rate constant ___________
37 The free energy released by this reaction__________
38 The value that dictates the steady-state concentrations of all reactants._____________
39. The energy whose reduction by a catalyst increases both the forward and backward
rate constants_________________.

Consider the reaction A + B C + D. The upper left figure below (boxed) describes the time
course when this reaction is started with a 1:1 mix of A and B and allowed to run to steady state.
In some of the other graphs (a, c, e) the reaction was started with a 1:1 mixture of C and D.

40. Is the reactionA + B C + D (depicted in the boxed graph) favorable (moves

farther to right) or unfavorable (moves farther to left).
a) You cant tell from the data given.
b) Its about even with neither direction favored.
c) Favorable
d) Unfavorable
e) Its unfavorable unless stimulated by a catalyst.

41. Which unboxed figure above (a-e) would best describe the time course of this
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reaction if started with C+D? (Fill one bubble)

42 Which figure (a-e) would best describe the course of the same reaction run in either
direction in the presence of a catalyst or at higher temperature ? (Fill ONE bubble)

43. In the diagrams above, what tells you the magnitude of the energy released by the
reaction?
a) The initial rate of the approach to steady state.
b) The product of the concentrations of A and B
c) The ratio of concentrations found at steady state -- [C][D]/[A][B]
d) The rate of the forward reaction.
e) The rate of the backward reaction.

44. Reaction rate constants were described as probabilities. Not actual rates
in the sense of molecules/unit time. What do you need in addition to the rate
constant, to determine the actual rate of this forward reaction? A+B C+D
a) Energy released by the reaction
b) Concentration of input reactants (A,B).
c) Concentration of product reactants (C,D) .
d) Activation energy of the back reaction.
e) Transition state energy.

In the figure below, which lettered value best fits each of the descriptions in the following three
questions? Any letter can be used more than once and some letters may not be needed.
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45. This value in the figure above dictates the concentrations of reactants at steady state and
is not changed by either heat or the presence of a catalyst. ___________ (insert some letter,
a-e)

46 This value in the figure above is affected by heat but not by the presence of a catalyst
________ (insert some letter, a-e)

47 This value in the figure above is affected by the presence of a catalyst but not by heat.
________ (insert some letter, a-e)

48 The rate of this forward reaction A + B C + D (molecules per unit time) depends on which
of the following? Pick the BEST single answer. (Fill ONE Bubble)
a. The rate constant of the forward reaction.
b. The amount of energy released by the reaction.
c. The concentration of the input reactants [A] plus [B].
d. The ratio of the concentrations of reactants and products [A][B]/[C][D] found at steady
state
e. The product of the concentration of input reactants [A][B] and the forward rate constant.

49) The reversible reaction A+B <-> C + D proceeds to a steady state at which the
concentrations of C and D vastly exceed those of A and B. If you wanted this reaction to
run backward (C + D A + B), which of the following would you add to the steady-state
reaction mixture? (Fill ONE bubble).
A. Add a catalyst
B. Add C and D.
C. Add A and B.
D. Heat the mixture.
E. Cool the mixture.

50.) The diagram at the right indicates a series

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of different energy levels for a particular reaction (M=N <-> P+Q). Some of these values
(A, B, C, D, E.) change when the reaction is heated. The others remain the same. Fill in
bubbles corresponding to all those energy values that REMAIN CONSTANT. (Fill in as
many bubbles as you need.)

51. Which ONE of the following best describes a reaction rate constant?
A. Describes the number of reactant molecules converted to products per
unit time (flux).
B. A value that dictates the final ratio of input reactants to products.
C. A value that indicates how many intermediates precede the final
product in a reaction pathway.
D. A value that describes the probability of the reactants undergoing a
chemical reaction.
E. A reaction rate that does not change with increasing temperature

52. Which symbols in the expression contribute to defining the forward reaction rate at any
moment? (PICK ONE)
a) kF kR
b) A, B, kR
c) A, B, kF
d) A B C D
e) C D kR

53. Which symbols in the above diagram represent things that can be used NOW to predict the
conditions that will exist after the reaction has come to steady state? (PICK ONE)
a) kF kR
b) A, B, kR
c) A, B, kF
d) A B C D
e) C D kR

At the right is a slide from one of the lectures.

The figure depicts a generic reaction started by
combining equal amounts of compounds A and B.
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Consider this figure and answer the following questions.

54. Whats going on in the region marked steady state ? PICK TWO
a.) You ran out of A and B
b.) The rates of the two reactions (forward and backward) are equal.
c.) The two reactions (forward and backward) have stopped.
d.) The two reactions (forward and backward) are both continuing to occur.
e.) The reaction catalyst has been inactivated.

55. What would happen to the lines for each reaction in the diagram above if you added an
amount of A and B equal to that seen at the indicated steady state? (PICK TWO)
a.) Nothing would happen.
b) The line describing A + B would rise to indicate a two fold increase.
c) The line describing C + D would increase two fold
d) The level of both lines would increase
e) A new steady state would be reached.

56. Which symbols in the expression contribute to defining the forward reaction rate at any
moment? (even at steady state) (PICK ONE)
a) kF kR
b) A, B, kR
c) A, B, kF
d) A B C D
e) C D kR

57. Which symbols in the expression dictate the energy released by this reaction.
(pick two of the following)
a) (C + D)/(A + B)
b) kF / kR
c) (A + B)kF
d) ABkF - CDkR
e) kF - kR
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The diagram at right describes vertically the course of

the reaction written below the graph. (M+N<->P+Q)
Consider the diagram and try the questions below.
Answer by putting ONE OR MORE of the four letters in
diagram (A-E). (Careful this is tricky)

58 Which value(s) change(s) in response to heat ? _________

59. What value(s) change(s) in presence of a catalyst? __________

60. What value(s) is (are) unchanged by heat, reactant concentration or catalyst? ______________

61. Which value(s) used with reactant concentrations dictate(s) the actual
rates of the forward and backward reactions at any moment?____________________