Enzymes Flashcards
What is a substance that’s acted upon by an enzyme?
It’s substrate
What is the active site?
A region on the surface of the enzyme molecule, where a substrate molecule can attach itself.
It’s where the catalysed reaction takes place
What are the shape of the substrate molecule and shape of the active site?
Complementary (so fit each other)
What happens almost as soon as the enzyme-substrate complex has formed?
The products of the reaction are released and the enzymes is ready too accept another substrate molecule
What does an enzymes usually catalyse?
One specific chemical reaction
What shape must the substrate molecule be?
The correct shape to fit into the active site
How many substrates will be the correct shape to fit?
Only one
How many reactions does each enzyme catalyse?
One specific reaction
If anything changes the shape of the active site, whate happens to the enzyme?
It will affect how well the enzyme works
What happens as temperature increases to enzyme reactions and why?
Enzyme reactions become faster because the molecules have more energy
What happens at high temperatures to the atoms of the enzyme molecule?
They vibrate more rapidly and break the weak bonds that hold the tertiary structure together
What happens if the shape of the active site changes?
The substrate can no longer fit, so the enzyme is said to be denatured
What effect can acids and alkalis have on enzymes?
They can denature them
What disrupts the weak bonds and changes the shape of the active site?
Hydrogen ions (H+) in acids and hydroxyl ions (OH-) in alkalis
