The best-known exception to exponential
kinetics is the elimination of alcohol (ethanol),
which obeys a linear time course (zeroorder
kinetics), at least at blood concentrations
> 0.02%. It does so because the
rate-limiting enzyme, alcohol dehydrogenase,
achieves half-saturation at very lowsubstrate
concentrations, i. e., at about 80 mg/l
(0.008%). Thus, reaction velocity reaches a
plateau at blood ethanol concentrations of
about 0.02%, and the amount of drug eliminated
per unit time remains constant at concentrations
above this level.
NEIL: Oh you know, I loved the punk attitude… of how you do it just by doing it. It was incredibly empowering. There was definitely the idea that you didn’t have to know anything in order to do it. You didn’t have to have anything in order to do it. You just had to do it.
doctorbotson 