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Enzymes, proteins and catalysts Flashcards

0
Q

What do different arrangements of amino acids give you?

A

Different proteins

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1
Q

What is a protein molecule made up off?

A

Long chains of small units called amino acids.

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2
Q

What do proteins do?

A

Proteins act as structural components of tissues, as hormones, as antibodies and as catalysts.

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3
Q

What is an amino acid?

A

A building block of protein

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4
Q

What is a catalyst?

A

A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without it being changed itself.

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5
Q

Can you use catalysts over and over again?

A

Yes

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6
Q

What is an enzyme?

A

A protein molecule which acts as a biological catalyst. It changes the rate of chemical reactions without being affected itself at the end of the reaction.

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7
Q

In our body what control our chemical reaction rates?

A

Enzymes

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8
Q

When long chains of amino acids are folded what is produced?

A

A molecule with a specific shape.

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9
Q

What does this special shape allow?

A

It allows other molecules (substrates) to fit into the enzyme proteins. We call this the active site.

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10
Q

What is the active site?

A

The site on an enzyme where the reactants bind

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11
Q

What are enzymes involved in?

A
  • Building large molecules from lots of smaller ones
  • Changing one molecule into another
  • Breaking down large molecules into smaller ones
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12
Q

Fill in the gaps:

Different enzymes catalyse ________ types of reactions.

A

Specific

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13
Q

Why do we need enzymes?

A

To speed up the reactions in our body
You need to build large molecules from smaller ones
You need to change certain molecules eg, one sugar into another.
Breaking down down insoluble food molecules into small soluble molecules.

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14
Q

Explain how enzymes work

A

The substrate of the reaction fits into the active site of the enzyme. Like a lock and key. Once it’s in place the enzyme and the substrate bind together. The reaction the takes place rapidly and the products are released from the surface of the enzyme.

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15
Q

What are enzymes make of?

A

Amino acid chains

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16
Q

Why does milk left in the sub go off quickly?

A

Enzymes in bacteria in the milk break down proteins that makes the milk go sour/bad.

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17
Q

Fill in the gaps:

As the temperature increases, the rate of enzyme controlled reaction __________ only up to temperatures of about _____.

A

Increases

40°C

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18
Q

What happens once the temperature is above 40?

A

The protein structure of the enzyme is affected and the long amino acid chains begin to unravel as a result the shape of the active sit changes. We say the enzyme has DENATURED.

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19
Q

At what temperature do most human enzymes work best ?

A

37°C

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20
Q

What is the optimum temperature?

A

When the reaction works as fast as possible

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21
Q

Where is pepsin found and what with, and at what pH does it work best at?

A

In the stomach with hydrochloric acid, best at pH 2

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22
Q

Where is amylase found and what’s it’s optimum pH?

A

In the small intestine with alkaline bile with an optimum of pH7.5.

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23
Q

What is your food made up of?

A

Large insoluble molecules that your body cannot absorb.

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24
What needs to happen to the insoluble molecules?
They need to be broken down or digested to form smaller, soluble molecules. Then be absorbed by your cells.
25
What controls the chemical breakdown?
Digestive enzymes
26
How are digestive enzymes different?
Most of your enzymes work inside the cells of your body, controlling the rate of chemical reactions whereas digestive enzymes work outside your cells.
27
What is your gut?
A hollow muscular tube that squeezes your food. It helps to break up your food into small pieces with a large surface area for your enzymes to work on. It mixes your food with your digestive juices so that the enzymes come into contact with as much of the food as possible. The muscles of the guy move your food along from on area to the next.
28
What are the enzymes called that break down carbohydrates down?
Carbohydrases
29
Is starch one of the most common carbohydrates that you eat?
Yes
30
What are carbohydrates broken into and where?
They are broken down into sugars in your mouth and small intestine.
31
What is the name of the enzyme that breaks down starch in your gut?
Amylase
32
Where is amylase produced?
In your salivary glands
33
Where does the digestion of starch start?
In your mouth
34
Where else is amylase also produced?
Pancreas and small intestine
35
Does any digestion take place inside the pancreas?
No, all the enzymes made there flow into your small intestine.
36
Where is most of the starch you eat digested?
Small intestine
37
What are the enzymes called that break down protein foods such as meat, fish and cheese into amino acids?
Protease enzymes
38
Where are proteases produced?
Your stomach, pancreas and small intestine.
39
What are proteins broken down into? And where?
Amino acids in your stomach and small intestine
40
What are the lipids you eat broken down into? And where?
They are broken down into fatty acids and glycerol in your small intestine.
41
What enzyme breaks down lipids?
Lipase enzymes
42
Where are lipase enzymes made?
Pancreas and small intestine.
43
What happens once your food molecules have been completely digested into soluble glucose, amino acids, fatty acids and glycerol?
They leave your small intestine and pass into your bloodstream to be carried around your body to the cells that need the,
44
Why is digestion of your food so important?
Large insoluble molecules in food cannot be absorbed into the blood so have to be digested to form small insoluble molecules that can be absorbed.
45
Where are your digestive enzymes made?
They are made by specialised cells in glands and in the lining of the gut. They work outside of the body cells in the gut itself.
46
What is your body temperature?
37°C
47
Fill in the gaps: | Your enzymes have an _________ temperature that allows them to work as fast as possible.
Ideal
48
Why isn't it easy to keep an ideal pH in your gut?
Because different enzymes work best at different pH levels.
49
In what conditions does the protease enzyme found in the stomach work best in?
Acidic conditions
50
In what conditions does protease work best in?
Alkaline
51
Why do your enzymes almost always have the right temperature to work at their best?
The body temperature is usually maintained around 37°c.
52
How many glands are in the lining of your stomach?
35 million
53
What does your stomach produce?
A concentrated solution of hydrochloric acid
54
What does the hydrochloric acid do?
It kills most of the bacteria that you take in with your food and allows your protease enzymes to work effectively.
55
What else does your stomach produce?
A thick layer of mucus
56
What does the thick layer of mucus do?
Coats your stomach walls and protects them from being digested by the acids and the enzymes.
57
How does your stomach avoid digesting itself?
The stomach glands produce a thick layer of mucus.
58
After your food leaves your stomach where does it go?
It moves on into your small intestine.
59
The acidic liquid coming from your stomach needs to become an alkaline mix in your small intestine. So how does it happen?
Your liver makes and alkaline liquid bile which is stored in the gall bladder. As your food comes into the SI ,bile is squirted onto it and neutralises the acid and makes it alkaline.
60
Why does the food coming into your small intestine need neutralising?
The food entering the small intestine from the stomach is acidic. The enzymes of the small intestine work best in alkaline conditions.
61
What is very important that the enzymes have in the gut?
It is important they have the largest possible surface area of food to work on.
62
What's the problem with digested fats?
The fats you eat don't mix with all the watery liquids in your gut. They remain as large globules (like oil in water) that makes it difficult for the lipase enzymes to act.
63
What is the second function of bile?
It emulsifies fat droplets to increase the surface area, which in turn increases the rate of fat digestion by lipase.
64
Why does your stomach contain hydrochloric acid?
The enzymes of the stomach work best in acid conditions.
65
What can digest the stains on our clothes and dishes?
Enzymes
66
What are used to remove stains such a a grass, sweat and food from their clothes?
Biological detergents
67
Explain what biological washing powders contain and what they do
They contain proteases and lipase which break down the proteins and fats in the stains. They help you give a cleaner wash.
68
Why do biological detergents work better than non-biological detergents?
Biological detergents work best at lower temperatures because this is what the enzymes work best at and they are denatured if the water is too hot. This means you use less electricity too.
69
How is protease used in the industry?
Protease a are used to make baby foods. They predigest some of the protein in the food. Treating the food with protease enzyme so makes it easier for the baby's digestive system to cope with. It is easier for them to get the amino acids they need from their food.
70
What are carbohydrases used for in industry?
Carbohydrases are used to convert starch into sugar(glucose) syrup.
71
How is starch used in industry?
Starch is made by plants like corn and is very cheap. Using enzymes to convert this plant starch into sweet sugar provides a cheap source of sweetness for food manufacturers.
72
What is the enzyme isomerase used for?
Used to change glucose syrup into fructose syrup.
73
Is glucose sweet than fructose?
No.
74
Why is it better to use fructose instead of glucose?
Fructose is sweeter and therefore less is needed so less calories
75
Give one advantage of using enzymes in the industry.
In industrial processes many of the reactions need high temperatures and pressures to make them go fast enough to produce the products needed. This needs expensive equipment and requires a lot of energy. However enzymes can solve this, they catalyse at low temperatures and pressures so this is cheaper.
76
Give one downside of using enzymes in the industry
They denature at high temperatures so the temperature must be kept down (below 45) the pH also needs to be kept down and carefully controlled. It costs money to control these conditions.
77
What's bad about using pure enzymes that use the substrate more efficiently?
More expensive to produce
78
Give examples of enzymes used in industry
Protease, carbohydrases, isomerase
79
Give 4 advantages of using enzymes in industry
1. Works at relatively low temperatures 2. Works at relatively low pressures 3. Efficient catalysts 4. Process often cheap to run
80
Give 4 disadvantages of using enzymes in industry
1. Denatured by high temperatures 2. Sensitive to pH changes 3. If whole organisms they need food, oxygen 4. Enzymes can be expensive to produce
81
Give an advantage of biological powder
Effective at cleaning at low temperatures, therefore less electricity , good for environment and cheaper for consumer.
82
Give 3 disadvantages of using biological detergents
1. Many people develop allergies and reacted to the enzyme dust 2. Some people worry about the enzymes going into our rivers and seas from biological detergents. 3. The low temperatures don't help to kill pathogens on the clothes.
83
How can enzymes be used in medicine?
They can diagnose disease Control disease Cure disease
84
Some people think that biological detergents are better for the environment that non biological detergents. Why is this?
Enzymes work best around 40°C therefore biological detergents ate most effective in a cooler wash cycle. This uses less electricity and can therefore be argued to be ecologically better.
85
Why does increasing the temperature increase the rate of reaction?
The molecules have more energy so they move around faster and collide more often and more vigorously so there are more frequent collisions in a given time.

Biology (15 decks)

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