Unit 3 AOS 2: Glossary Flashcards
What does Catabolic mean?
describes a type of an enzyme of a chemical reaction to that releases energy and involves breaking down molecules into smaller components
what does Anabolic mean?
describes a type of chemical reaction that requires energy and involves constructing molecules from simpler components
what is a enzyme?
a type of protein, also referred to as a biological catalyst, that speeds up reactions within an organism by lowering activation energy
what is a substrate?
a molecule that binds to the active site of an enzyme and than takes part in a reaction; also referred to as a reactant
What is a catalyst?
a substance that increase the rate of a reaction by lowering the activation energy and providing an alternative pathway
what is activation energy?
the minimum amount of energy required for a reaction to proceed.
What is active site?
the region of an enzyme where the substrate binds for a chemical reaction to take place
What is a Allosteric site?
a binding site on an enzyme, where molecules other than the substrate may bind
What is a coenzyme?
an organic molecule that contains carbon and bind to enzymes to help them function; examples are NADP, NAD and FAD
What is denaturation?
the process by which a protein loses its 3D conformational structure through breaking of hydrogen bonds, caused by an external stress such as temperature or pH
What is an enzyme saturation
the point at which the rate of reaction reaches a maximum, with no further increase at a specific enzyme concentration
what is competitive inhibition?
the process of disrupting the function of an enzyme by blocking its active site with a molecule other than the substrate
What is non-competitive inhibition?
the process of disrupting the function of an enzyme through molecule binding to another site on the enzyme, which alters the shape of the active site in such a way that the substrate cannot bind
what is an inhibitor?
A molecule that is involved in disrupting the function of an enzyme, either directly (competitive) or indirectly (non-competitive)
What is an autotroph?
an organism that synthesises its own organic material (food), by capturing light energy and taking in inorganic compounds from its physical environment, to meet its energy needs (auto=self, troph = food)
What is photosynthesis?
a chemical reaction in which light energy is used to convert the inorganic compounds carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) into the compound glucose; occurs in the chloroplast (photo=light, synthesis=build or put together)
What is heterotroph?
An organism that ingests organic materials by feeding an autotrophs or on other organism and their products, in order to convert energy into the form of energy stored in ATP (hetero =other troph = food)
What is ATP (adenosine triphosphate)
the main immediate source of chemical energy in a cell, powering most cellular process; when a phosphate group is removed energy is released and ADP is formed
What is cellular respiration?
a series of chemical reactions in which the organic compound glucose is broken down, producing various products (depending on presence or absence of oxygen) and energy stored in ATP
What is Chlorophyll?
the green pigment on the thylakoid membranes of the chloroplasts of green plants; absorbs light energy for photosynthesis
What is the Granum?
(plural grana) a stack of thylakoid membrane inside the chloroplast of plant and algae