3.1.4:2 Enzymes Flashcards
What is an enzymes function?
To catalyse reactions
How do enzymes speed up reactions?
Lower the activation energy of the reaction it’s catalysing
What are the two models of enzyme function?
Induced-fit
Lock and key
What do the properties of an enzyme depend on?
The tertiary structure of the active site
Ability to combine with complementary substrates
What is formed in a catalysing processes?
Enzyme-substrate complex
What is specificity?
Each enzyme can only combine with one substrate because of their complementary shapes
What is activation energy?
The least amount of energy required to activate atoms of molecules to a state in which they can undergo a chemical reaction
What is it the functional part of the enzyme called?
Active site
What are enzymes made from?
Amino acids
Describe the structure of an enzyme?
Globular protein
Tertiary structure
Depression in the side (active site)
Specific as each active site fits one substrate
Why are enzymes needed in living things?
The activation energy in living things is too high as the temperature is too low so the enzymes lower the activation energy
What happens to the enzyme when the temperature or pH is too high or low in the reaction?
It denatures
What happens when an enzyme denatures?
When the temperature is too high there is enough energy to break hydrogen bonds in the tertiary structure so the active size changes shape. It’s no longer complementary to the substrate so enzyme-substrate complexes can’t be formed. No products are formed.
What is the difference between an anabolic and catabolic reaction?
Anabolic builds bonds
Catabolic breaks bonds
What is wrong with the lock and key theory?
It suggests that enzymes are rigid but they’re not
They can alter their shape
What factors affect the rate of an enzyme controlled reaction?
Temperature
pH
Concentration of substrate
Concentration of enzyme
How do we express the rate of an enzyme controlled reaction
Turnover number
The number of substrate molecules which one molecule of enzyme can turn into product per minute
(usually 100,000’s)
How can rate of reaction be measured?
Increase in product over time
Decrease in substrate over time
(Tangent on graph)
Why does rate on reaction in an enzyme controlled reaction tend to decrease over time?
Substrate is converted into product
Less and less substrate molecules for enzymes to act upon
Less enzyme-substrate complexes formed
What conditions must be satisfied for a reaction to take place naturally?
Substrates must combine with enough energy to alter the arrangement f their atoms to form products
The free energy of the products must be less than that of the substrates
Activation energy
What is the induced fit model?
The proximity of the substrate leads to a change in the enzyme that forms the functional active site
As the shape changes, the enzyme puts statin on the substrate molecule
The strain distorts a particular bond or bonds in the substrate
This lowers the activation energy needed to break the bond
What is the effect of rise in temperature on enzyme action?
Increases the kinetic energy of molecules
The molecules move around more rapidly and so collide with each other more often
More enzyme substrate complexes are formed in a given time
Rate of reaction increases
What happens to enzyme activity when the temperature is too high?
Hydrogen (and other) bonds in the enzyme break
The polypeptide chains become unravelled as the tertiary structure changes
The active site changes shape so the substrates are no longer complementary
Fewer enzyme substrate complexes formed
Enzymes denatured
Rate of reaction decreases
Why is our body temperature 37C when the optimum for many human enzymes is 40C?
Additional energy would be needed to maintain higher temperatures
Other proteins may be denatured at a higher temperature
If the temperatures were higher and a further rise in temperature occurred, due to illness for example, enzymes might denature
