Micah Espinoza Vocabulary Cards
active site
A pocket or groove on the surface of the enzyme.
Reactants
A starting material in a chemical reaction
Enzyme
A type of protein that speeds up a chemical reaction in a living thing
Glucose
C6H12O6
carbon dioxide
CO2
Photosynthesis
Conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy.
Chlorophyll
Green pigment in plants that absorbs light energy used to carry out photosynthesis
Matrix
Innermost compartment of the mitochondrion
Oxygen
O2
Mitochondria
Powerhouse of the cell, organelle that is the site of ATP (energy) production
Fermentation
Process by which cells release energy in the absence of oxygen
Anaerobic
Process that does not require oxygen
Aerobic
Process that requires oxygen
Photorespiration
Reaction in which rubisco attaches oxygen instead of carbon dioxide to ribulose bisphosphate
Chloroplast
Site of photosynthesis
Stomata
Small openings on the underside of a leaf through which oxygen and carbon dioxide can move
Denaturation
loss of normal shape of a protein due to heat or other factor
Chemosynthesis
process in which chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates
electron carriers
proteins arranged in chains on the membrane to allow the transfer of electrons from one carrier to another.
Exergonic
releases energy
catalyst
substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction
ATP
(adenosine triphosphate) main energy source that cells use for most of their work
activation energy
the minimum amount of energy required to start a chemical reaction
cellular respiration
the process by which cells use oxygen to produce energy from food
Grana
the stacks of thylakoids embedded in the stroma of a chloroplast.
Photosystem
cluster of chlorophyll and proteins found in thylakoids
Stroma
fluid portion of the chloroplast; outside of the thylakoids
products
The elements or compounds produced by a chemical reaction.
inner membrane
The membrane of the mitochondria that is the site of electron transport and chemiosmosis.
Substrate
The reactant on which an enzyme works.
enzyme inhibitor
a molecule that binds to and prevents an enzyme from functioning
Endergonic
absorbs energy
