Enzymes And Biological Molecules Flashcards
What are the four main groups of organic chemicals used by living things?
- Carbohydrates
- Lipids
- Proteins
- Nucleic acids
What is the study of organic and inorganic molecules that make up living organisms called?
Biochemistry
What is the sum of all the chemical reactions in living organisms called?
Metabolism
What are subunits?
Similar smaller molecules that make up large organic molecules.
What is the reaction called that splits apart subunits?
Hydrolysis
What is the reaction called that joins subunits back together?
Condensation
What is the test that is performed to find out if lipids are present in a solution?
The emulsion test.
What will happen to a solution after the emulsion test if there are lipids present?
A milky white EMULSION is formed.
What is used to test for vitamin C?
DCPIP
What is DCPIP?
A blue dye.
What will happen to the blue dye (DCPIP) if there is vitamin C present in the solution?
It will lose it’s blue colour.
What do you mix into a solution if you want to know if protein is present?
Biuret reagent
What will happen to the solution and the Biuret reagent if protein is present?
It will turn a mauve/purple colour.
What solution is used to test for starch?
Iodine solution.
What will happen to the mixture if starch is present?
It will turn a deep blue-black colour.
What is Benedict’s reagent used to test for?
Glucose.
What happens to the solution if glucose is present?
It turns an orange/brick red colour.
What do anabolic reactions do?
Build up large molecules from smaller ones. This usually requires ENERGY!!
What do catabolic reactions do?
They break down larger molecules into smaller ones. They often release ENERGY!!
What do catalysts do?
Speed up reactions without themselves being changed by the reaction.
What do enzymes function as?
Biological catalysts
What are the molecules that react in the enzyme-catalysed reaction called?
Substrates
What are the molecules produced in the reaction called?
Products
Why are enzymes “specific”?
Most enzymes work on only one kind of substrate.
Remember Pacman!!!
What happens to an enzyme if the surrounding temperature is too high?
It loses shape, so can no longer bind to their substrate.
What is said to have happened to an enzyme if it becomes misshapen due to high temperatures?
It has become denatured.
What is an enzyme’s “optimum temperature”?
The balance between the two temperature effects, too hot and too cold. The enzyme will work best at this temperature.
Other than temperature, what else affects enzyme activity?
pH
What helps enzymes bind more easily to their substrates?
Activators
What makes it more difficult for an enzyme to bind to it’s substrate?
Inhibitors
What is the catalase equation?
hydrogen peroxide - oxygen + water
