Biology 2b Flashcards
What are enzymes?
Biological catalysts produced by living things
Living things have chemical reactions going on inside of them, why do they need to be carefully controlled?
To make sure that they produce the right amounts of substances
Why is raising the temperature not a good way to make a reaction happen quicker?
Because they make the useful reactions AND the unwanted ones quicker, also there’s a limit to how high the temperature can be raised in living creatures before it’s cells become damaged
What is the definition of a catalyst?
A catalyst is a substance which increases the speed of a reaction, without being changed or used up in the reaction
What are enzymes made up of?
They are proteins and all proteins consist of chains of amino acids which are folded into unique shapes that enzymes need to do their job
As well as being a catalyst, what else do proteins do?
They act as structural components of tissues (eg muscles), hormones and antibodies
Why do enzymes have unique shapes?
Their unique shape only fits onto the substance involved in a reaction so they can catalyse their reaction. Each enzyme can only catalyse one reaction
Why can enzymes only catalyse one reaction?
Because the substance has to fit the enzymes special shape, if the substance doesn’t match with the enzyme, the reaction won’t be catalysed
What is the process of an enzyme catalysing a reaction?
A specific enzyme and matching substance join together. The enzyme becomes uncharged after the reaction and the substance is split up
What temperature do human enzymes work best at?
Around 37 degrees C
What is an optimum pH?
Enzymes have an optimum pH and it is the pH that they work best at, often it is neutral pH7. If the pH is too high or too low, the bonds holding the enzyme together are changed and the enzyme changed shape and is denatured
What is an example of an enzyme that’s optimum pH isn’t neutral pH7?
Pepsin (used to break down proteins in the stomach) works best at pH2. It is well suited to the acidic conditions
What do digestive enzymes do?
Break down big molecules into smaller ones
What molecules need to be broken down?
Starch, proteins and fats because they are too big to pass through the walls of the digestive system
What molecules don’t need to be broken down?
Sugars, amino acids, glycerol and fatty acids because they are much smaller and can pass through the walls of the digestive system
What do amylase do?
They convert starch into sugars
What is the equation for amylase breaking down starch?
Starch -(protease/enzymes)-> Maltose etc
Where are amylase made?
The salivary glands, the pancreas and the small intestine
What do protease do?
Convert proteins into amino acids
What is the equation for protease breaking down proteins?
Proteins -(protease/enzymes)-> Amino aicds
Where are protease made?
The stomach (called pepsin in the stomach), the pancreas and the small intestine
What do lipase do?
Covert lipids into glycerol and fatty acids
What is the equation for lipase breaking down lipids?
Lipid -(lipase/enzymes)-> glycerol + fatty acids
Where are lipase made?
The pancreas and the small intestine
What does bile do?
It neutralises the stomach acid and emulsifies fats
Where is bile produced?
In the liver
Where is bile stored?
In the gall bladder
Where is bile released into?
The small intestine
Why does bile neutralise the stomach acid?
Because the hydrochloric acid in the stomach makes the pH too acidic for the enzymes to work properly. Once the conditions are more alkaline, the enzymes can work
Why does bile emulsify fats?
It breaks the fats into tiny droplets, giving it a much bigger surface area for the enzyme lipase to work on. This makes digestion faster
Where are the enzymes used in the digestive system produced?
By specialised cells in glands and in the gut lining
What is the order of the digestive system?
Salivary glands, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine…
What happens at the salivary glands?
Amylase enzymes are produced in the saliva
What happens in the stomach?
Food is churned up by the muscular walls, the protease enzyme pepsin is produced. Hydrochloric acid is also produced to kill bacterial and give the right pH for the protease enzyme to work (pH2-acidic)
What happens at the liver?
Bile is produced to neutralise the stomach acid and emulsify fats
What happens in the gall bladder?
Bile is stored here before it is released
What happens in the pacreas?
Protease, amylase and lipase enzymes are produced here and then released into the small intestine
What happens in the small intestine?
Protease, amylase and lipase enzymes are produced to complete digestion and the digestive food is absorbed out of the digestive system into the blood here
What happens in the large intestine?
Excess water is absorbed from the food
Respiration is catalysed by enzymes, why is this reaction really important?
Because it releases energy that the cells need to do anything
What is respiration?
The process of releasing energy from the breakdown of glucose and it happens in every cell in the body
What is the most efficient type of respiration?
Aerobic respiration because it uses oxygen
Does aerobic respiration happen in plants or humans?
Both, it happens in animals and plants all the time
Where do most of the reactions for aerobic respiration take place?
In the mitochondria
What is the word equation for aerobic respiration?
Glucose + oxygen -> carbon dioxide + water + energy
What are the four examples of what the energy released by aerobic respiration is used for?
To build up larger molecules from smaller one (proteins from amino acids), In animals to allow the muscles to contract so we can move about, In mammals and birds to keep their body temperature steady and in plants to build sugars, nitrates and other nutrients into amino acids which are then built up into proteins
Why does blood have to flow at a faster rate if you exercise?
An increase of muscle activity requires more glucose and oxygen to be supplied to the muscle cells. Extra carbon dioxide is needs to be removed from the muscle cells, for this to happen the blood has to flow at a faster rate
What does physical activity do to you?
KILL YOU LOL I HATE PE! But anyways, it increases your breathing rate and makes you breathe more deeply to meet the demand for extra oxygen. Also it increases the speed at which the heart pumps
What is glycogen?
It is used during exercise, some glucose from food is stored as glycogen
Where is glycogen stored?
Mainly in the liver but each muscle has its own store
How is glycogen used?
During vigorous exercise muscles use glucose rapidly so more of the stored glycogen is converted back to glucose to provide more energy
When is anaerobic respiration used?
If there’s not enough oxygen
What is anaerobic respiration?
It is the incomplete breakdown of glucose which produces lactic acid
What is the equation for anaerobic respiration?
Glucose->Energy+Lactic Acid
Why is anaerobic NOT the best way to convert glucose into energy?
Because lactic acid builds up in the muscles which gets painful and causes muscle fatigue, the muscles get tired and stop contracting efficiently.
What is an advantage/disadvantage of anaerobic respiration?
It doesn’t release as much energy but you can carry on using your muscles for a bit longer (useful in emergencies)
What does anaerobic respiration lead to?
Oxygen debt