Theory 53/Biocatalysis
Solvent Tolerance Is a Surface Ratio
The claim
Enzyme stability in organic solvent is set by the ratio of surface charge to hydrophobic patch area, so a more charged enzyme tolerates more solvent.
01The mechanism
Solvent strips the hydration shell; charge keeps the protein dispersed and hydrated while hydrophobic patches promote aggregation.
02Predictions
- P1Tolerance should track the ratio.
- P2Hydrophobicity alone should mispredict.
03Refutation
Tolerance tracking hydrophobicity would remove the charge term.