First Law of Thermodynamics
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred.
Second Law of Thermodynamics
Energy transfer leads to increased disorder, or entropy.
Exergonic Reactions
Reactions where the products have less energy than the reactants.
Endergonic Reactions
Reactions where the products have more energy than the reactants.
Enzymes
Biological catalysts that speed up reactions by lowering activation energy.
Activation Energy
The minimum amount of energy required to start a chemical reaction.
Enzyme Specificity
Each enzyme catalyzes only one specific kind of reaction.
Substrates
Molecules that enzymes target during enzymatic reactions.
Active Site
The special region on an enzyme where substrate binding occurs.
Induced-fit Model
The concept that enzymes change shape slightly to better fit their substrates.
Cofactors
Factors that assist enzymes in catalyzing reactions, can be organic or inorganic.
Enzyme Denaturation
The alteration of an enzyme's structure, often due to extreme temperature or pH.
Saturation Point
The concentration of substrate at which all enzyme active sites are occupied.
Competitive Inhibition
When an inhibitor competes with the substrate for the active site.
Noncompetitive Inhibition
When an inhibitor binds to an allosteric site, distorting the enzyme shape.