enzymes Flashcards
what are enzymes
catalysts produced by living things
how can you make a reaction happen more quickly
raising the temp
what is a catalyst
a substance which increases the speed of reaction without being changed or used up in the reaction
what are large proteins
enzymes are all large proteins and all proteins are made up of chains of amino acids
why do enzymes have special shapes
so they can catalyse reactions
what do chemical reactions usually involve
things either being split apart or joined together
what does every enzyme have
an active site with a unique shape that fits onto the substances involved in a reaction
what happens if the substrate if it doesn’t match the enzyme active site
then the reaction wont be catalysed
what happens if you change the temperature
it changes the rate of an enzyme catalysed reaction
what happens if it gets too hot
some of the bonds holding the enzymes together will break
what happens if the pH is too high or low
it interferes with the bonds holding the enzymes together
what is the usual pH the enzymes work best at
neutral pH 7
what enzyme works best at pH 2
pepsin
what is the pepsin enzyme used for
to break down proteins in the stomach
