Catalysts and Enzymes

Question 1

What are catalysts?

Answer 1

Catalysts are chemicals that speed up chemical reactions

Question 2

What are enzymes?

Answer 2

Enzymes are large protein molecules that serve as biological catalysts. They are long chains of amino acids that are folded up to produce a molecule with an active sight with a unique shape to bind to a specific substrate molecule.

Question 3

How do enzymes work?

Answer 3

The substrate of the reactant fits into the active sight of the enzyme. The two bind together, and the enzyme breaks down the substrate.

Question 4

What is the metabolism?

Answer 4

The sum of all the reactions in a cell or in the body.

Question 5

What does it mean for an enzyme to become denatured?

Answer 5

When an enzyme is exposed to extreme heat it begins to unravel and break down, warping the active site and stopping the enzyme from working.

Question 6

What enzymes break down carbohydrates, what catalyses it and what is the product?

Answer 6

Carbohydrase break down carbohydrates, catalysed by amylase. The reaction produces simple sugars.

Question 7

What enzyme breaks down proteins and what is produced?

Answer 7

Proteases break down proteins into amino acids.

Question 8

What enzyme breaks down fats and what is produced?

Answer 8

Lipases break down fats into fatty acids and glycerol.