4.1 Enzyme Action
First review @November 9, 2023
Why are enzymes important?
chemical reactions within living organisms are essential for life
enzymes are used as a biological catalyst to speed up the reactions without
interfering with the reactions— for example, protease enzymes aid the break down
of proteins
the enzymes do this by interacting with the substrate molecule (the thing being
broken down)
The role of enzymes in reactions
living organisms undergo two sets of chemical reactions— anabolic and catabolic
reactions which make up the metabolism (the sum of all the chemical reactions and
pathways that occur in a living cell/ organism)
anabolic— building up e.g. condensation
catabolic— breaking down, e.g. hydrolysis
these reactions are all catalysed by enzymes
enzymes can only increase the rates of chemical reactions until a certain point called the
Vmax (the maximum initial velocity or rate of the enzyme-catalysed reaction)
Mechanism of enzyme action
in order for a chemical reaction to occur, the reactant molecules must collide
when the temperature of the reactants is increased, they gain more kinetic energy and
therefore move more quickly, this increases the chance of successful collisions and
therefore increases the rate of reaction
energy needs to be supplied for most chemical reactions to begin— this is the activation
energy
enzymes help the reactant molecules collide successfully and therefore reduces the
activation energy required
there are two hypotheses for how enzymes do this:
4.1 Enzyme Action 1
First review @November 9, 2023
Why are enzymes important?
chemical reactions within living organisms are essential for life
enzymes are used as a biological catalyst to speed up the reactions without
interfering with the reactions— for example, protease enzymes aid the break down
of proteins
the enzymes do this by interacting with the substrate molecule (the thing being
broken down)
The role of enzymes in reactions
living organisms undergo two sets of chemical reactions— anabolic and catabolic
reactions which make up the metabolism (the sum of all the chemical reactions and
pathways that occur in a living cell/ organism)
anabolic— building up e.g. condensation
catabolic— breaking down, e.g. hydrolysis
these reactions are all catalysed by enzymes
enzymes can only increase the rates of chemical reactions until a certain point called the
Vmax (the maximum initial velocity or rate of the enzyme-catalysed reaction)
Mechanism of enzyme action
in order for a chemical reaction to occur, the reactant molecules must collide
when the temperature of the reactants is increased, they gain more kinetic energy and
therefore move more quickly, this increases the chance of successful collisions and
therefore increases the rate of reaction
energy needs to be supplied for most chemical reactions to begin— this is the activation
energy
enzymes help the reactant molecules collide successfully and therefore reduces the
activation energy required
there are two hypotheses for how enzymes do this:
4.1 Enzyme Action 1
