OCR F212 Biological Molecules: Enzymes

Enzymes:

·         Globular proteins with a specific tertiary structure which catalyses metabolic reactions in living organisms

·         Enzyme action may be intracellular or extracellular

·         The active site of an enzyme is a specific shape depending on the reaction it catalyses

·         Meaning other molecules won’t fit the active site

·         Active site is the area where the substrate binds

·         An enzyme reduces activation energy

·         A model is a visible representation of how something works

Effects: pH

·         Enzymes have an optimum pH value

·         Above OH- or below H+ ions disrupt ionic bonds and hydrogen bonds that hold the tertiary structure in place

·         Active site changes

Temperature:

·         RoR increases as temperature increases

·         More heat means more kinetic energy molecules move faster and so more likely to form ESC

·         Too high a temperature means the bonds vibrate too much and break the active site is lost…