5 - Enzymes Flashcards
What is a catalyst?
A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being used up
What is an enzyme?
A biological catalyst that is made out of protein and speeds up a reaction without being used up
Hydrogen Peroxide ———> ?
Water + Oxygen
What does it mean when an enzyme referred to as specific or complementary?
This means the enzymes can only speed up one type of reaction due to the shape of its active site, and only one type of substrate can fit into the enzymes active site
Why are enzymes helpful in reactions other than speeding them up?
They lower the activation energy required to start a reaction
What are the 2 ways an enzyme can speed up a reaction?
They could either break up larger molecules into smaller molecules (digestion), or they could join simple molecules into larger ones (assimilation)
What are the 2 ways to measure the rate of reaction?
Measure rate substrate disappears, or measure rate products appear
What factors could affect the rate of enzyme activity?
Possible answers
- Temperature
- pH
- Surface area
- Enzyme concentration
- Substrate Concentration
How does temperature affect the rate of enzyme activity?
As the temperature increases, the more thermal energy is converted into kinetic energy, allowing the enzyme to react faster. Every enzyme has an optimum temperature (the one it works best at). Any temperature that exceeds the optimum would cause the enzyme to denature, (The intensity rate of kinetic energy will change the shape of the enzyme’s active site, removing its ability to form an enzyme-substrate complex and making it useless
What are the conditions of pH’s 1-6?
Acidic
What are the conditions of pH 7?
Neutral
What are the conditions of pH’s 8-14?
Alkalinic
Why does pH affect the rate of enzyme activity?
Different enzymes work best at certain pH conditions, and different enzymes have different optimum pH’s.
\What pH is pepsin optimum?
pH 2
What pH is amylases optimum?
pH 7
