substratspekteret

Substratspekteret, or the substrate spectrum, is a concept in chemistry and biology that describes the range of substrates that a given enzyme, catalyst, or material can transform. It captures both specificity, where the system acts on a limited set of substrates, and promiscuity, where it accepts a broader variety. The term is used to compare how different catalysts tolerate structural variations in substrates, such as functional groups, steric hindrance, and electronic properties.

Determination of the substrate spectrum involves testing a panel of candidate substrates under defined conditions and measuring activity, conversion, or yield. Data are often summarized as substrate compatibility or relative rates and visualized as a spectrum or heat map. The spectrum informs enzyme or catalyst engineering: a broadened spectrum can enable versatile biocatalysis, while a narrowed spectrum can improve selectivity and reduce side reactions. It also aids in predicting off-target reactions in pharmaceutical development and in environmental remediation.

Several factors influence the substrate spectrum, including the active site architecture or catalyst surface, choice of solvent or cofactor, temperature and pH, and the presence of inhibitors or promoters. In practice, substrate-spectrum analysis is used across fields such as enzymology, organic synthesis, heterogeneous catalysis, and materials science to understand, optimize, and predict catalytic performance.