Proteins and Enzymes Flashcards

Flashcards about Enzymes and Thermodynamics

Energy

The capacity to do work or cause change.

Chemical Transformation

How energy is passed around, involving the modification of chemical structures.

Potential Energy

Energy possessed by a system due to its position or condition; stored energy.

Kinetic Energy

Energy of motion; energy exhibited by moving objects or particles.

Metabolism

The sum of all chemical reactions that occur within an organism to sustain life.

Anabolic Reactions

Reactions in which more complex molecules are made from simpler ones, requiring energy input.

Catabolic Reactions

Reactions in which complex molecules are broken down into simpler ones, releasing energy.

First Law of Thermodynamics

Energy is neither created nor destroyed, but converted from one form to another.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

Energy conversion is not 100% efficient; some energy is lost as unusable energy (e.g., heat).

Entropy

A measure of disorder or randomness in a system. Tends to increase over time.

Free Energy

The portion of a system's energy that is available to perform work.

Exergonic Reactions

Reactions that release free energy; occur spontaneously.

Endergonic Reactions

Reactions that require energy input to proceed.

Catalyst

A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction without being consumed or altered in the process.

Enzymes

Biological catalysts, typically proteins, that speed up biochemical reactions.

Activation Energy

The energy required to initiate a chemical reaction.

Transition State Intermediate

A temporary, unstable state during a reaction where the molecule is neither reactant nor product.

Active Site

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

Substrate

The starting material in an enzymatic reaction.

Enzyme-Substrate Complex

Enzyme and its substrate form a complex and the reaction happens, and then you have an enzyme again and some free product is generated.

Orientation (Enzyme Function)

The correct orientation of substrate molecules to facilitate a reaction.

Physical Strain (Enzyme Function)

Physical distortion or stress applied to a substrate molecule by an enzyme to facilitate a reaction.

Chemical Charge (Enzyme Function)

Changes in the chemical environment of a substrate to promote a reaction.

Metabolic Pathway

A sequence of interconnected biochemical reactions where the product of one reaction serves as the substrate for the next.

Feedback Inhibition

Regulation mechanism where the end product of a metabolic pathway inhibits an earlier enzyme in the pathway.

Ribozymes

Enzymes made from RNA that act as biological catalysts.