Enzymes Flashcards
What is the definition of a catalyst?
A substance that increases the speed of a reaction, without being changed or used up in the process
What are enzymes made OUT OF?
A long chain of amino acids
What are enzymes made BY?
By living organisms (enzymes are sometime called biological catalysts.)
Why can’t you increase temperature to speed up a reaction?
- Requires a lot of energy
- Can damage cells
- Can also speed up non-useful reactions
What is an active site?
A unique shape that’s complimentary to the substrates
What does denatured mean?
When an enzymes active site has changed shape because of temperature or pH
What is it called when an enzyme works the fastest?
Optimum temperature
How do you calculate the rate of reaction in an enzyme?
How much a certain product or reactant changes by
DIVIDED BY
Time that it took to change
How fast are most chemical reactions?
Quite slow
What happens if the substrate doesn’t fit the active site of an enzyme?
The reaction won’t be catalysed
What is the lock and key model?
That the substrate had to fit perfectly into the active site
What is the induced fit model?
The enzyme actually changes shape slightly as it binds to the substrate
What happens when the temperature is too high for an enzyme?
The enzymes bonds begin to break and the active sight begins to change shape, and the enzyme become denatured
What is meant by optimum temperature?
The temperature which gives the highest enzyme activity
What is starch broken down by?
Broken down by amylase into smaller sugars such as maltase
