Question

Which of the following statements about alcohol metabolism is correct?

A) Limiting Reagent: In alcohol metabolism, the limiting reagent is typically acetaldehyde, the product of the initial breakdown of ethanol.

B) Limiting Reagent: In alcohol metabolism, the limiting reagent is always oxygen, which is required for the oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde.

C) Kinetics: Alcohol metabolism follows zero-order kinetics, meaning the rate of metabolism remains constant regardless of the concentration of ethanol in the system.

D) Kinetics: Alcohol metabolism follows first-order kinetics, where the rate of metabolism is directly proportional to the concentration of ethanol in the system.

Answer 1

Alcohol metabolism in the liver, where ethanol is oxidized to acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase, follows zero-order kinetics; thus, the metabolism rate is constant and not influenced by ethanol concentration once enzymatic capacity is exceeded.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct statement about alcohol metabolism is that it follows zero-order kinetics, meaning the rate of metabolism remains constant, regardless of the concentration of ethanol in the system. This is because the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde operates at a constant rate when the concentration of alcohol exceeds the enzymatic capacity. The reaction rate does not increase with a higher concentration of ethanol because it is limited by the amount of active enzyme, not by acetaldehyde or oxygen.