Determination of initial velocities of enzymic reactions from progress curves

The present communication describes a novel method for estimating initial velocities (v) of enzyme-catalysed reactions. It is based on an approximation of experimental data obtained by the cubic spline function. The initial velocity of a reaction is calculated as a derivative of the approximating function at a time value equal to zero. The proposed method is usable on a computer with a FORTRAN IV program. The method can be successfully used in such cases as substantial extents of substrate conversion, the inactivation of an enzyme in the course of a reaction, the existence of large experimental error or when the reaction mechanism is unknown.