ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the basic equations necessary for understanding the kinetics of biomolecular reactions. Dimensional analysis is an important tool for examining equations for two reasons. First, by keeping track of the units of each term in an equation, the units of any parameters can be determined. Second, dimensional analysis provides a quick way of checking equations for errors because equations must be internally consistent. The chapter focuses on unimolecular and bimolecular reactions which are sufficient to account for most biochemical mechanisms. It discusses simple combinations of these reactions, such as two-step binding mechanisms. Using numerical methods to simulate and analyze two-step binding mechanisms bypasses the need for making restrictions such as pseudo-first-order conditions. The reaction profiles are derived by taking small intervals in time and calculating the change in concentration of each species using a linear relationship according to the Law of Mass Action.
