Energetics

Enzymes

Proteins that act as catalysts to speed up reactions by lowering activation energy.

Active Site

The specific region of an enzyme where substrates bind and undergo a chemical reaction.

Denature

Process by which an enzyme's active site shape is altered, rendering it ineffective due to adverse environmental conditions.

Homeostasis

The maintenance of a stable, internal environment in an organism.

ATP

Adenosine triphosphate, the energy currency of cells, storing and releasing energy for biological processes.

Competitive Inhibitor

A substance that competes with substrates for the active site of an enzyme, slowing the reaction.

Non-competitive Inhibitor

A substance that binds to an allosteric site on an enzyme, altering the active site's shape and function.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria convert light energy into chemical energy in the form of glucose.

Autotroph

Organisms that can produce their own food, like plants and algae.

Chloroplasts

Organelles in plant cells that facilitate the process of photosynthesis.

Glycolysis

The first step of cellular respiration where glucose is broken down into pyruvate, producing a net gain of 2 ATP.

Krebs Cycle

The series of reactions in cellular respiration that breaks down acetyl CoA to produce NADH, FADH2, CO2 and ATP.

Electron Transport Chain

A series of protein complexes in the mitochondria that produce ATP through the transfer of electrons.

Lactic Acid Fermentation

A type of fermentation that occurs in animals, producing lactic acid when oxygen is scarce.

Alcoholic Fermentation

A type of fermentation that occurs in yeasts and some plants, producing ethanol and carbon dioxide.

Light-dependent reactions

Reactions in photosynthesis that require light to produce ATP and NADPH, occurring in thylakoids.

Calvin Cycle

Light-independent reactions that use ATP and NADPH to convert carbon dioxide into glucose.