Solved: A protein molecule, P, of molar mass m dimerizes

Chapter 13, Problem 13.127

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A protein molecule, P, of molar mass m dimerizes when it is allowed to stand in solution at room temperature. A plausible mechanism is that the protein molecule is first denatured (that is, loses its activity due to a change in overall structure) before it dimerizes: P k P*(denatured) slow 2P* P2 fast where the asterisk denotes a denatured protein molecule. Derive an expression for the average molar mass (of P and P2), m, in terms of the initial protein concentration [P]0 and the concentration at time t, [P]t, and m. Describe how you would determine k from molar mass measurements.