Enzymes

Front

What is an enzyme?

Back

A biological catalyst that speeds up chemical reactions by lowering the activation energy.

Front

What is the function of the active site of an enzyme?

Back

The active site is the region on the enzyme where substrate molecules bind and undergo a chemical reaction.

Front

What is a substrate in the context of enzymes?

Back

The substrate is the reactant molecule upon which an enzyme acts.

Front

What are products in an enzymatic reaction?

Back

Products are the substances that are produced as a result of the enzymatic reaction.

Front

What does it mean to lower activation energy?

Back

Lowering activation energy means reducing the energy required for a reaction to occur, thus speeding up the reaction.

Front

What is the optimum temperature for enzyme activity?

Back

The optimum temperature is the temperature at which an enzyme is most active, often around 37-40 degrees Celsius for many human enzymes.

Front

What happens to enzymes at high temperatures?

Back

High temperatures can denature enzymes, altering their structure and rendering them inactive.

Front

What is enzyme denaturation?

Back

Denaturation is the process where an enzyme loses its functional shape due to external stress, such as temperature or pH changes.

Front

What role do cofactors play in enzyme activity?

Back

Cofactors are non-protein molecules that assist enzymes in catalyzing reactions, often by stabilizing the enzyme-substrate complex.

Front

What is enzyme specificity?

Back

Enzyme specificity refers to the ability of an enzyme to choose exact substrates from a group of similar chemical molecules.