Final answer:
Measuring the amount of product accumulated later in the reaction does not directly determine Vmax. Vmax is assessed through enzyme kinetics experiments that rely on the initial rates at various substrate concentrations, eventually reaching a point of saturation.b)False
Step-by-step explanation:
Vmax can be determined by measuring the amount of product accumulated later in the reaction. This statement is false. Vmax is the maximum rate of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction when the enzyme is saturated with substrate. It is determined using an enzyme kinetics experiment, typically represented on a Michaelis-Menten plot. Early in the reaction, when the enzyme is not yet saturated with substrate, measurements are taken to estimate Vmax indirectly via extrapolation of the initial reaction rates at different substrate concentrations.
In practice, product accumulation is measured over time and the reaction rate is plotted against substrate concentration to construct a saturation curve. The point where increasing substrate concentration does not increase the reaction rate anymore corresponds to Vmax. Thus, Vmax reflects an enzymatic activity at saturation, not merely the late-stage accumulation of product.