Enzymes Flashcards
What are enzymes?
Globular proteins with a specific tertiary structure
What type of bonds are present in enzymes?
Hydrogen bonds
Ionic bonds
Disulphide bridges
Hydrophobic interactions
Why are enzymes biological catalysts?
Speed up the rate of metabolic reactions by lowering the activation energy
What is the definition of activation energy?
Minimum amount of energy required for a reaction to begin
What is metabolism?
Sum of all the enzyme controlled chemical reactions taking place in a cell
State the 2 main types of reactions that make up metabolism
Anabolic reactions
Catabolic reactions
What is an anabolic reaction?
A set of metabolic pathways that synthesise complex molecules from smaller, simpler molecules
What is a catabolic reaction?
A set of metabolic pathways that breakdown complex molecules into smaller, simpler molecules
What is an intracellular enzyme?
Enzyme that act within cells
What is an extracellular enzyme?
Enzyme that acts outside cells
Where is the active site?
Small region in the enzyme molecule which is functional
What is the purpose of the active site?
Substrate comes into contact with the active site
Enzyme-substrate complex forms
Reaction takes place
Products are released from the active site
Enzyme active site is then free to catalyse another reaction
