Enzymes

How does temperature affect enzyme activity?

temperature will speed up the chemical reaction until it gets too hot, when it denatures the enzyme, therefore sending its maximum activity to 0%

How can a lock and key be used to describe an enzyme?

the enzyme acts as the lock and has a certain shape, and the substrate acts as the key and only fits into that exact enzyme

Substrate

the molecule that an enzyme works on

Why do enzymes generally only bind to one type of substrate?

the substrate has a certain shape that fits into a certain enzyme (lock and key)

How does pH affect enzyme activity?

there is an optimal pH for every enzyme, the closer the pH is to that, the faster the reaction will be

Activator

they are molecules that bind to enzymes and increase their activity.

Product

what the chemical reaction yields

Inhibitors

An enzyme inhibitor is a molecule that binds to an enzyme and decreases its activity, and slow down reactions.

Explain the difference between energy-absorbing reactions and energy-releasing reactions?

Energy releasing reactions give off (release) energy such as heat when the reaction takes place. Energy absorbing reactions means that you have to put energy into it first, before any reaction can happen.

Why are enzymes so important to living things?

Enzymes aid in facilitating chemical reactions in the body.

How do enzymes speed up chemical reactions?

Enzymes speed up reactions by lowering activation energy, the lower the activation energy for a reaction, the faster the rate.

Where are catalase found?

In the liver.

Denaturing

It is damage caused to an enzyme due to extreme conditions.

What 4 things can affect the way enzymes work?

Temperature, pH, salt concentration, activators and inhibitors

Enzyme

They are catalyst proteins that help make and speed up chemical reactions in the body. They also lower activation energy.

What are peroxides?

They are chemicals made by the body all of the time.

What are the characteristics of an enzyme?

They speed up reactions by lowering the activation energy. They are substrate specific. Can only catalyze 1 reaction.

Active site

a region on an enzyme that the substrate binds to during a reaction.

Catalyst

a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change.

Non-competitive inhibitors

change shape of the enzyme so that the substrate no longer fits

Competitive inhibitors

compete for the active site and block off the substrate