enzymes

• what are enzymes?


  enzymes are biological catalyists used to speed up a reaction
• what are enzymes made from?


  Enzymes are made from long chains of amino acids
• what are enzymes made by?


  enzymes are made by living organisms
• what are the 2 models for enzymes?


  1. lock and key model (ORIGINAL)
  2. Induced fit model ( MORE REALISTIC)
• what happens if the substrate doesnt fit into the active site?


  if the substrate doesnt fit into the active site of the enzyme, the reaction wont be catalyzed
• why would increasing the temperature of a chemical reaction be unfeasible? give 3 reasons.


  1. non-useful reaction can also speed up
  2. can damage cells
  3. requires a lot of energy
• what is a catalyst?


  A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being used up or changed in the process.
• what does a cell need to do in order to function properly?

  a cell would need to carry out a huge number of chemical reactions every second of every day. ( most of these chemical reactions are naturally quite slow)
• What is the lock and key model ( ORIGINAL)?


  a theory in which scientists thought that the substrate (REACTANT) had to fit PERFECTLY into the active site
• what is the induced fit model (MORE REALISTIC)?


  scientists discovered that enzymes change shape slightly as they bind to the substrate(REACTANT) so they fit more perfectly.

  ( Active site more complimemtary to the substrate )
• what is an active site?

  a part of an enzyme with a unique shape thats complimentary to the substrate of the reaction