A student of chemical engineering mistakenly engulfed the toxic compound "A," which was a potent inhibitor of a certain enzyme. He was immediately brought to the hospital, where the doctor injected intravenously substrate "B" to minimize the toxic effect of compound A. His life was saved from serious damage. The treatment method shows that compound A was a_ inhibitor.

Explanation

Competitive inhibitors are substances that compete with the substrate for binding to the active site of the enzyme. They have a similar chemical structure to the substrate, allowing them to bind to the active site and prevent the substrate from binding. The binding of a competitive inhibitor is reversible, meaning it can be overcome by increasing the concentration of the substrate. In the given scenario, the doctor injected substrate B intravenously to minimize the toxic effects of compound A. By administering substrate B, the doctor increased the concentration of the substrate, which can outcompete compound A for binding to the active site of the enzyme. This helps to reduce the inhibitory effect of compound A and restore the enzyme's activity.