Lecture 2 Terms

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the biochemistry lecture on enzymes, metabolism, and quiz formats.

Steady state

A condition where the concentrations of reactants and products remain constant over time, indicating a balance between the rates of the forward and reverse reactions.

Substrate

The substance upon which an enzyme acts to catalyze a chemical reaction.

Product

The substance that is formed as a result of a chemical reaction.

Reaction

A process in which one or more substances are converted into different substances.

Reaction coordinate diagram

A graphical representation of the energy changes that occur during a chemical reaction as a function of the reaction coordinate.

Activation energy (delta G‡)?

The minimum energy required to initiate a chemical reaction, often represented as the difference in free energy between the reactants and the transition state.

Entropy reduction

A decrease in the disorder or randomness of a system, often associated with the formation of products from reactants in a chemical reaction.

Acid-base catalysis

A reaction mechanism where an acid or base is used to accelerate a chemical reaction via proton transfer.

Metal ion catalysis

A process where metal ions facilitate the reaction mechanism by stabilizing charged intermediates or participating in oxidation-reduction reactions.

Covalent intermediate

An unstable species formed during a chemical reaction where an atom shares a pair of electrons with another atom, leading to a temporary bond.

Ionic bonds

Chemical bonds formed through the electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions.

Van der Waals forces

Weak intermolecular forces arising from temporary dipoles in molecules, contributing to the physical properties of substances.

Hydrogen bond

A type of strong dipole-dipole attraction between a hydrogen atom bonded to a highly electronegative atom and another electronegative atom.

Hydrophobic non-covalent bonds

Interactions between non-polar molecules or molecular regions that minimize exposure to water, leading to aggregation in an aqueous environment.