What is a Lineweaver-Burk plot used for?

• A. A plot of substrate concentration vs reaction rate
• B. A plot of [S] versus Vmax
• C. A double reciprocal plot of 1/v versus 1/[S]
• D. A plot of ln v versus 1/[S]

Answer: (C)

A Lineweaver-Burk plot is a method to linearize Michaelis–Menten kinetics by using reciprocal quantities. By starting from v = Vmax[S]/(Km + [S]) and taking reciprocals, you get 1/v = (Km/Vmax)(1/[S]) + 1/Vmax. This makes a straight line when you plot 1/v against 1/[S], with slope equal to Km/Vmax and a y-intercept of 1/Vmax (the x-intercept is -1/Km). This setup lets you determine Km and Vmax from the line using linear regression. The other descriptions don’t reflect this reciprocal, linear relationship: plotting substrate concentration vs rate is the original hyperbolic plot; plotting [S] versus Vmax isn’t meaningful as a kinetic plot; and plotting ln v versus 1/[S] isn’t the Lineweaver-Burk form.