Enzymes

A set of vocabulary flashcards reviewing key concepts, definitions, and diagrams related to enzymes, catalysts, activation energy, and factors affecting enzyme activity.

Catalyst

Something that speeds up a chemical reaction.

Enzyme

A type of protein that acts as a catalyst in living organisms to speed up chemical reactions in the body by lowering activation energy.

Diastase

An enzyme that breaks down starch into maltose during digestion.

Activation Energy Diagram

A visual model demonstrating how enzymes lower the activation energy required to convert reactants ($Glucose + O_2$) into products ($CO_2 + H_2O$).

Enzyme Suffix (-ase)

The standard naming ending for enzymes, such as Catalase, lactase, and DNA polymerase.

Substrate

The substance that interacts with an enzyme at the start of a reaction. There can be one or multiple substrates.

Enzyme-Substrate Complex

The temporary combination formed when an enzyme and substrate bind together.

Products

What comes out of a chemical reaction at the end. There can be one or multiple products.

Active Site

The location on an enzyme where the enzyme and substrate join together, structured in a specific shape so that only the matching substrate can fit.

Enzyme Specificity

The property of an enzyme that allows it to complete only one specific chemical reaction, such as lactase breaking down lactose but not sucrose.

Denatured

The altered condition of an enzyme when its active site changes shape due to factors like high heat or altered pH, preventing the substrate from fitting and causing the enzyme to lose function.

Optimum Temperature

The specific temperature at which an enzyme exhibits its highest rate of activity.

Rate of Reaction Factors

Conditions and concentrations that affect how fast an enzymatic reaction occurs, including temperature, pH, salinity, enzyme concentration, and substrate concentration.

Substrate Concentration Effect

The change in reaction rate observed as substrate availability moves from low to high concentration.

Enzyme Concentration Curve

A graph illustrating how increasing enzyme concentration accelerates the rate of reaction up to a plateau point.