Lineweaver

Lineweaver refers to a biochemist best known for co-developing the Lineweaver–Burk plot, a linear transformation of enzyme kinetics data that facilitated estimation of kinetic constants. In 1934, along with Dean Burk, this researcher proposed a method to linearize the Michaelis-Menten equation by plotting the reciprocal of the reaction velocity (1/v) against the reciprocal of substrate concentration (1/[S]). The resulting straight line has slope Km/Vmax and y-intercept 1/Vmax, while the x-intercept corresponds to -1/Km. This representation allows for straightforward visual estimation of Km and Vmax from experimental data, and it quickly became a standard tool in biochemistry and pharmacology.

Over time, the Lineweaver–Burk plot proved useful for teaching and data analysis but is subject to biases inherent in reciprocal transformations. Because errors in measured velocities are magnified when taking reciprocals, data at low substrate concentrations can disproportionately affect the fit, and the extrapolated parameters may be less reliable than those obtained by modern nonlinear regression of the Michaelis-Menten equation. As a result, contemporary practice often favors nonlinear fitting or alternative linearizations such as the Eadie–Hofstee or Hanes–Woolf regression, depending on data quality and experimental goals.

Lineweaver’s contribution is primarily in providing a simple, interpretable framework for understanding enzyme kinetics and for estimating basic kinetic parameters from experimental data. The Lineweaver–Burk plot remains a foundational concept in textbooks and discussions of Michaelis-Menten kinetics.