enzymes

Energy

The ability to do work or cause change.

Potential energy

Stored energy based on an object's position or structure.

Kinetic energy

Energy of motion.

Chemical energy

Potential energy stored in chemical bonds, such as the bonds in glucose.

Heat energy

Energy associated with the movement of particles; it is a form of kinetic energy.

Endergonic reaction

A reaction that requires an input of energy; products have more free energy than reactants.

Exergonic reaction

A reaction that releases free energy; products have less free energy than reactants.

Enzyme

A biological catalyst that speeds up a chemical reaction by lowering activation energy.

Substrate

The reactant an enzyme acts on.

Active site

The region of an enzyme where the substrate binds and the reaction occurs.

Products

The substances formed by a chemical reaction.

Activation energy

The energy needed to start a chemical reaction.

Enzyme-substrate complex

The temporary structure formed when a substrate binds to an enzyme.

Enzymatic reaction steps

The substrate binds to the active site; the enzyme lowers activation energy; the reaction occurs; products are released; the enzyme can be reused.

Competitive inhibitor

A substance that competes with the substrate for the enzyme's active site.

Noncompetitive inhibitor

A substance that binds somewhere other than the active site and changes the enzyme's function.

Enzyme specificity

An enzyme's ability to act on a particular substrate or type of reaction.

Effect of temperature and pH on enzymes

what Changes outside an enzyme's optimal conditions can alter its shape and reduce its activity.

Denaturation

A change in a protein's shape that causes it to lose its normal function.