5: enzymes Flashcards
what is a biological catalyst?
substance that speeds up chemical reactions and remains unchanged by the reaction
what are enzymes?
proteins functioning as biological catalysts that are involved in all metabolic reactions
what are the two types of metabolic reactions?
- anabolic
- catabolic
explain anabolic reactions
the synthesis of molecules through condensation
explain catabolic reactions
the breaking down of molecules through hydrolysis
what is an enzyme-substrate complex?
the temporary complex formed when an enzyme binds to its substrate molecule
list down the properties of an enzyme [5]
- biological catalyst
- coded by DNA
- most are globular proteins
- lowers the activation energy
- highly specific
intracellular enzymes
enzymes inside a cell
extracellular enzymes
enzymes outside a cell
what is a metabolic pathway?
a series of connected chemical reactions that feed one another
what do intracellular enzymes do?
they catalyse the reactions that occur in metabolic pathways
what do extracellular enzymes do?
enzymes that work outside a cell; they have been secreted by a cell
explain the mechanism of an enzyme
- enzyme binds a substrate in the active site
- enzyme-substrate complex forms
- substrate reacts to form a product
- product is released
why is it that only certain substrates can fit with certain enzymes?
because the active site of an enzyme has a specific shape that only the intended substrate can fit into
what is activation energy?
the minimum amount of extra energy needed for a reacting molecule to get converted into a product
