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Ethanol (CH3CH2OH) is the alcohol found in beverages. It is oxidized in the body to
acetaldehyde by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. Methanol (CH3OH), also known as wood
alcohol, is converted to formaldehyde by the same enzyme. Acetaldehyde is toxic, but
formaldehyde is far more toxic to humans, which is why the ingestion of relatively small
amounts of methanol can cause blindness or death. One treatment for mild methanol
poisoning is the administration of ethanol.Why might a doctor choose this treatment?
A) The ethanol is likely an uncompetitive inhibitor and binds to a site other than the active
site of the enzyme.
B) Ethanol must act as a competitive inhibitor for the alcohol dehydrogenase and therefore
slows the formation of formaldehyde.
C) The doctor has given up on the patient and administers ethanol for sedation.
D) Ethanol likely irreversibly binds to alcohol dehydrogenase which prevents the formation
of formaldehyde.

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Answer:

B) Ethanol must act as a competitive inhibitor for the alcohol dehydrogenase and therefore slows the formation of formaldehyde.

Explanation:

An inhibitor is a substance that binds to an enzime and prevents it to react with a substrate. In this case, the inhibitor is ethanol, binding to the enzime (alcohol dehydrogenase) and preventing it to react with methanol and thus from it form the toxic formaldehyde.

A competitive inhibitor has a similar structure to the substrate, that is why it binds to the same active site. In this case, ethanol has a similar structure to methanol, which is why the answer is B and not A.

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