Organic solvent changes the chymotrypsin specificity with respect to nucleophiles
In α-chymotrypsin-catalyzed acyl-transfer reactions in water the specificity of the enzyme (the nucleophile reactivity of amino acid amides) is correlated with the substrate hydrophobicity and increases as the hydrophobicity of the side chain of the amino acid amides is increased. In a low water system (4% H2O) bulky amino acid amides are less efficient nucleophiles. The specificity of α-chymotryp
