U5. Enzymes Flashcards
Define enzyme
Enzymes are proteins that function as biological catalysts
what are enzymes made of
thousands of amino acids folded to form a specific shape (tied to function)
Define catalysts
A substance that increase the rate of a chemical reaction and its shape is not changed by the reaction (can be reused)
Why are enzymes important?
the reaction speed is made fast by enzymes to sustain life
- body has to release enough energy for different uses to keep use alive
- eg. digestion
Define anabolism
building up large molecules from small ones (bond forming)
- eg. condensation
Define catabolism
Breaking large molecules into small ones (bond breaking)
- hydrolysis
The process of enzymes breaking bonds
- active site of enzyme has a complementary shape with a substrate (so it can fit)
- an enzyme-substrate complex forms
- reaction takes place and the chemical bond is broken
- products are released from the enzyme, then enzyme is available to bind again
State lock and key hypothesis
the active site is complementary to the shape of the substrate molecule
What is activation energy?
the energy needed to start a reaction
How does activation energy change when enzyme is added?
enzymes speed up reactions, lowering the activation energy requirement of a reaction
What are the factors that can affect enzyme rate?
- substrate concentration
- enzyme concentration
- surface area
- temperature
- pH
