enzymes Flashcards
define enzymes
Enzymes are proteins which work as biological catalysts to speed up the rate of reactions in living organsims. Enzymes are made of a specific chain of amino acids, which fold in a specific way to make a specific shape. It also has an active site with a specific shape.
define proteins
a protein is a large chain of amino acids
2 things that can afffect enzyme activity (how well it can catalyse reactions)
pH and temperature
define substrate
A substrate is a molecule changed by an enzyme.
Define active site
The active site is the part of the enzyme that binds to the substrate and the reaction occurs.
define denaturation
denaturation is the loss of the stucture of the active site of the enzyme
define optimum
optimum describe the ideal conditions for an enzyme to work
aerobic respiration equation
Oxygen + Glucose → carbon dioxide + water + ATP
How does low temperature affect enzyme function?
It has a slow reaction due to low kinetic energy.
How does optimum temperature affect enzyme function?
It has the fastest reaction rate.
How does high temperature affect enzyme function?
The enzymes denature, changing the shape of the active site which means the substrates are no longer complimentary to the active site and continue floating around. This slows down the rate of reaciton.
define catalyst
a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction and is not changed by the reaction
How does an enzyme work?
Each enzyme active site has a specific shape. It binds with a substrate with a specific complimentary shape. This speeds up the rate of reaction. If the temperature is too high the enzyme denatures and slows down. At the end of the reaction a enzyme-substrate complex is formed.
