Enzymes Flashcards
What are enzymes
Proteins that act as a biological catalyst
What is a catalyst
A substance which increases the speed of a reaction without being changed or used up in the reaction
What do enzymes reduce the need for
High temperatures
What do we only have enzymes for
To speed up the useful chemical reactions in the body
What are proteins made up of
Chains of amino acids
What are the chains of amino acids folded into
Unique shapes
Why do enzymes have special shapes
So they can catalyse reactions
How many specific reactions do enzymes catalyse
Usually only one
What happens if the substrate doesn’t fit into the active site
It won’t be catalysed
How does the pH affect enzymes
If too high or low pH interferes with the bonds holding enzyme together , changing the shape of active site and denaturing it
What is Pepsin
An enzyme used to break down proteins in the stomach
What pH does pepsin work best at
pH 2
