Action of catalase on peroxyacetic acid. Kinetic studies

The activity of catalase on peroxoacetic acid was studied by a kinetic point of view. The "inactivation-reactivation" sequence consists in two first order (intramolecular) one-electron redox reactions. In the catalytic cycle, the reaction producing Compound I is, as espected, a second order process rate determined by the enzyme-peroxide adduct formation step, whereas, surprisingly, the reaction restoring the enzyme resting state is a first order process in which the limiting step is the 0-0 linkage breaking inside the Compound I-peroxide adduct.