Enzyme Kinetics (Michaelis-Menten) Solver

Inspectable records

Ledger state

The current ledger marks this instrument verified clean within the source-bound verification corpus.

Area

Biology, Medicine & Pharmacology (educational estimates only — every panel labeled not-medical-advice)

Tranche

tranche-6

Evidence ID

t6-049

Ledger rows

1

No ledger note is attached.

Review findings

The two displayed equations are algebraically correct within their assumptions. Verdict is NEEDS_REVIEW because the claimed v(t) output, fitting algorithm, regression weighting, R² definition, physical-domain constraints, and reciprocal-data handling are unspecified. The existing educational/non-medical label is appropriate, but the interface should also state that fitted parameters are model-dependent and that Lineweaver-Burk fits may be statistically inferior to nonlinear fits.

Formula and scope findings

• The Michaelis-Menten formula v=Vmax[S]/(Km+[S]) is standard for a single-substrate reaction under steady-state, initial-rate conditions, but those applicability constraints are not stated.
• The Lineweaver-Burk transformation is algebraically correct for nonzero [S] and v, but ordinary least-squares fitting in reciprocal space is statistically biased because it disproportionately weights low-velocity measurements; the fitting method is unspecified.
• The output 'v(t) curve' is ambiguous and not supported by the supplied formula, which computes v as a function of substrate concentration [S], not time t. A time curve requires a substrate-depletion or reaction-progress model.
• The fitting procedure, parameter constraints, treatment of replicate data and weighting, and definition of R² are unspecified, so Vmax, Km, and R² are not uniquely determined from the specification.

Unit assumptions

• [S] and Km must use the same concentration unit.
• v and Vmax must use the same velocity unit, such as micromoles per minute.
• For the Lineweaver-Burk equation, 1/[S] and Km/Vmax must have reciprocal-concentration units, while 1/v and 1/Vmax must have reciprocal-velocity units.
• The examples assume nonnegative substrate concentration, positive Km, positive Vmax, and measured initial velocity before substantial substrate depletion.
• All reciprocal-fit data points require [S] != 0 and v != 0.

Boundary hardening

BREAK_CLAIMED · SELF_FLAGGED

The specification exposes undefined-result paths at [S]=0 in the Lineweaver-Burk transform and at Km+[S]=0 in the Michaelis-Menten expression. Negative or unit-inconsistent inputs can also produce invalid or materially different results unless explicitly rejected or normalized.

Errata and corrections

No applied erratum is attached to this unique-name record.

Inspectable example

4 review vectors are recorded. One source-bound sample is shown below.

{
  "inputs": {
    "mode": "direct",
    "Vmax": "100 micromol/min",
    "Km": "20 micromol/L",
    "sampled_substrate_concentrations": [
      "0 micromol/L",
      "20 micromol/L",
      "80 micromol/L"
    ]
  },
  "expected_outputs": {
    "sampled_points": {
      "0 micromol/L": "0 micromol/min",
      "20 micromol/L": "50 micromol/min",
      "80 micromol/L": "80 micromol/min"
    },
    "curve_features": {
      "root": "[S]=0 micromol/L, v=0",
      "half_maximum": "[S]=Km=20 micromol/L, v=50 micromol/min",
      "horizontal_asymptote": "v approaches 100 micromol/min as [S] approaches infinity",
      "finite_vertical_asymptote": "none for physical [S]>=0"
    },
    "R_squared": "not applicable for direct parameters"
  },
  "working": "At [S]=0: v=100*0/(20+0)=0/20=0 micromol/min. At [S]=20: v=100*20/(20+20)=2000/40=50 micromol/min. At [S]=80: v=100*80/(20+80)=8000/100=80 micromol/min. At [S]=Km, v=Vmax*Km/(Km+Km)=Vmax/2=50 micromol/min. As [S] becomes very large, Km/[S] approaches 0, so v approaches Vmax=100 micromol/min."
}

Related workflows

No source-defined multi-instrument workflow membership is recorded.

Sources and evidence

These pointers bind the page to evidence. They do not grant authority or collapse verification into deployment.

• VERIFIED_LEDGER.json · VERIFIED_CLEAN
• evidence-tranche6/tranche6-results.json
• BOUNDARY_HAZARD_CATALOG.json