Year 11 Human Biology - Metabolism

what is metabolism

all of the chemical reactions within a cell or body

what is anabolism

using energy to make large complex molecules from several smaller simple ones

anabolism example

protein synthesis

what is catabolism

the breaking of large complex molecules into smaller simple ones, which releases energy

what are nutrients

any substance found in food which are used by the body the grow, repair and maintaining it

what are the six nutrient groups

water, lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals

what are organic compounds

any compound with a carbon chain and a number of hydrogens, with also maybe some oxygen, sulfur or nitrogen

what is a biocatalyst

a substance which speeds up chemical reactions in organisms

what are most enzymes

proteins

do enzymes change in reactions

no, they dont change or dissappear

what does it mean for an enzyme to be specific

that enzyme can only perform one type of reaction with one certain molecule

what is the active site

the area on an enzyme which binds to the substrate temporarily

what complements the active site

the substrate

what is the lock and key model

a model which shows the complementary substrate to an active sit, attaching by weak temporary bonds to form the enzyme substrate complex. the old bonds break, forming the products which get released so the process can repeat with a new substrate

what is the induced fit model

a model in which upon the binding of a substrate, the active site slightly changes to better fit the substrate for maxium efficiency in reaction

what is activation energy

the initial inout energy needed for the chemical reaction to occurin enzymes

what does lowering activation energy do

it allows more molecules to collide effectively

what effects rate of reaction

temperature and pH, concentration, co enzymes and factors, inhibitors and product release

how does temperature effect it

increased temp. increases rate, until too hot and denatruing occurs (denatures at 45 - 50)

how does enzyme concentrate effect

high conc. = faster

how does susbtrate concentration effect

higher conc. = faster until saturation

how does pH effect

needs optimum pH otherwise denatures

what are co factors

a susbstance that must bind to the enzyme to activate enzyme, so it can change its active site

what is a co enzyme

carries chemical groups between enzymes

what are inhibitors

slow or stop reactions, and can compete for the active site whihc blocks the substrate

how does product removal effect it

if products dont leave active site, then a new substrate can not bind