Enzymes Flashcards
What are enzymes
Enzymes are proteins that act as a biological catalyst.
It speeds up a reaction without being changed or being used up itself.
What is a substrate
The molecule being changed in the reaction (KEY)
What is the active site?
The part where it joins to its substrate to catalyse the reaction.
How does temperature affect the rate of a reaction?
Temperature
A higher temperature increases the rate of reaction at first.
If it gets too hot, some of the bonds holding the enzyme together break. This changes the shape of the enzymes active site, the substrate wont fit anymore. Enzyme denatures.
How does the pH affect the rate of a reaction?
PH
If the pH is too high, or too low, it changes the shape of the enzyme and denatures the enzyme.
The optimum pH is pH 7 for enzymes.
Some enzymes in the stomach work best at pH 2
it is suited to acidic conditions.
How does substrate concentration affect the rate of a reaction?
Substrate Concentration
The higher the substrate concentration, the faster the reaction. This is because the enzyme is more likely to meet with a substrate.
What is the formula for rate of reaction?
1000
Rate= ———-
Time
