Enzymes and Reaction Dynamics

Vocabulary flashcards covering enzyme structure, catalytic activity, reaction energetics, and enzyme models from the lecture transcript.

Thermic

A term referring to heat, relating to whether heat energy is released or absorbed during a reaction.

Hydrolysis

A hydrolytic reaction that breaks apart molecules during digestion to release energy.

Activation Energy

The energy required to get any chemical reaction started.

Catalyst

A substance that gets a reaction started by lowering the activation energy, which is not consumed in the reaction and can be reused.

Enzyme

A biological catalyst composed of protein that facilitates and accelerates a specific chemical reaction without changing the reaction itself.

Substrate

The biological reactant that is acted on or worked on by an enzyme.

Active Site

The region on a protein enzyme where the chemical reaction takes place.

-ase

A suffix commonly added to the end of a word to designate that a molecule is an enzyme.

Catalase

An enzyme found in yeast that breaks down the substrate hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen.

DNA Polymerase

An enzyme that builds DNA by adding nucleotides to make the molecule larger.

Lock and Key Model

The older theory of enzyme action stating that the substrate fits perfectly and rigidly into the enzyme's active site.

Induced Fit Model

The current model of enzyme action stating that the enzyme changes its shape when the substrate binds, inducing the enzyme to carry out its function.