Q10 (temperature coefficient)

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The Q₁₀ temperature coefficient is a measure of temperature sensitivity based on the chemical reactions.

The Q₁₀ is calculated as:

${\displaystyle Q_{10}=\left({\frac {R_{2}}{R_{1}}}\right)^{10\,^{\circ }\mathrm {C} /(T_{2}-T_{1})}}$

where;

R is the rate

T is the temperature in Celsius degrees or kelvin.

Rewriting this equation, the assumption behind Q₁₀ is that the reaction rate R depends exponentially on temperature:

${\displaystyle R_{2}=R_{1}~Q_{10}^{(T_{2}-T_{1})/10\,^{\circ }\mathrm {C} }}$

Q₁₀ is a unitless quantity, as it is the factor by which a rate changes, and is a useful way to express the temperature dependence of a process.

For most biological systems, the Q₁₀ value is ~ 2 to 3.^[1]