Enzymes and Biochemical Reactions

Enzymes

A type of protein that speed up biochemical reactions by lowering the activation energy - CATALYSTS - VERY SPECIFIC - Specialized molecules that bind to reactants (Substrate) and help break or form bonds and release a newly created products - They cannot be changed in a reaction and can be used over and over again - Enzymes end in -ase and named after the substrate they interact with and are found in specific places in your body

Endothermic

Absorbs Energy - Example - Photosynthesis - Energy is stored as sugar - There are more energy in products THAN reactants

pH

Acidity of a solution( how acidic a solution is) - Most enzymes work at a specific pH, so changes in the pH can affect the speed of a reaction

Denaturation

An enzyme's active site gets DEFORMED and loses its specific shape → Causes a loss of biological activity - Caused by extreme changes in pH, Temperature, Ion strength and Solubility - Fixable but not always

Temperature

Increasing temperature → increase rate of reaction - Molecules are moving faster due to an increase in kinetic energy causing them to collide

Cofactor

Metal ions enzyme helper - Example: Iron

Active Site

Only fits in ONE Substrate (reactant)

Coenzymes

Organic proteins enzyme helpers - Example: Vitamins

Exothermic

Releases energy - Example - Cellular respiration - Energy is released as ATP when sugar is broken down - There are more energy in reactants THAN products

Competitive inhibitor

Slows down reaction - Competes with substrate for the active site on the enzyme

Reactants (substrate)

Substances changed during the chemical reaction

Products

Substances made during the chemical reaction

Activation Energy

The amount of energy needed to start a chemical reaction

Chemical Reactions

The breaking and creating of bonds between different substances that requires energy

Enzymes can make bond

between substrate to form one product

Latctase

breaks down lactose

Lipase

breaks down lipids → found in pancreas,mouth and stomach

Protease

breaks down proteins

Substrate Concentration

increase in amount of substrate → faster reactions - Due to an increase in particle collision

Enzymes can break bonds

into substrates to form 2 products

Rate of a chemical reaction can be changed by

pH, Temperature, Substrate Concentration, Catalyst and Competitive inhibitor

Catalyst

speed up reactions - An enzyme is a catalyst - Lowers the activation energy needed to start a reaction