7.2 Study Guide Flashcards
What is the definition of a substrate?
A reactant which binds to an enzyme’s active site.
What is the definition of an active site?
Where the substrate fits into an enzyme.
What are Enzymes?
A catalyst (which speeds up chemical reactions).
What is the definition of activation energy?
The amount of energy needed to complete a chemical reaction.
What happens to the reaction rate when substrate or enzyme concentrations change?
If the concentrations increase, then the reaction rate will increase until it plateaus when the enzymes and substrates run out of each other to attach to. If the concentrations decrease, then the reaction rate decreases.
How could you maximize enzyme activity?
You would make sure the temperature and pH are right for the enzyme, and then have a lot of enzymes and substrates.
Compare competitive inhibitors and regular inhibitors.
Regular inhibitors attach to the enzyme away from the active site and cause the active site to change so the substrates can’t get to it, while competitive inhibitors connect at the active site and block the substrates from attaching to the enzyme. However, both inhibitors keep substrates from attaching to the enzymes, therefore preventing any enzyme reactions.
What do activators do?
They attach to an enzyme (NOT at the active site) and cause the enzyme to change the shape of the active site so the substrates can attach to the enzyme.
