This page has been approved by the Responsible Curator as essentially complete. CAZypedia is a living document, so further improvement of this page is still possible. If you would like to suggest an addition or correction, please contact the page's Responsible Curator directly by e-mail.
The transition state of any reaction is the highest point in the reaction coordinate, this is a balance point between starting material and product. By definition it does not have a lifetime, and so it cannot be isolated and studied directly. However, transition state structures can be determined by the measurement of kinetic isotope effects.