Enzymes

 Enzymes are proteins that function as a biological catalyst

 A catalyst is a substance that speeds up a chemical reaction but isn’t changed by the reaction.
 Each enzyme is specific for one chemical reaction
 Enzymes can be used over and over again because they are not altered by the reaction
 They are produced in minute quantities by living cells
 They are named by adding suffix -ase
How Enzymes Work
 Enzymes work the same way as catalysts do, they can work with only one substrate and they can be used more than once.
 Enzymes have a structure that is called active site. Only one substance can fit into the active site to be digested, and it is
the only substrate that this particular enzyme works with.
 The figure on the right shows the function of
enzymes:
The substrate enters the active site of the
enzyme.
Forming an enzyme-substrate complex
The reaction takes place.
The substrate exits the enzyme as two
simpler products (if it is a catabolic
reaction).
 This model is known as the lock and key
hypothesis
 The key is the substrate and the lock is the enzyme
 The key should be exactly the right shape to fit in the lock, so does the substrate to fit in the active site of the enzyme.

 Enzymes are two types: Builders and Breakers. Builder enzymes do the opposite of breaker enzymes. Breakers break large
molecules into smaller simpler ones, builders combine smaller ones to make large molecules.
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 Breaker enzymes are used in the digestive

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system to break down large insoluble molecules

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into simpler soluble ones to be used by the body

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(anabolic reactions).
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 They are also present in cells that respire to

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break down sugars and oxygen into carbon

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dioxide, water and energy.

 Builder enzymes are present in plants to be used
in photosynthesis, the opposite of respiration, in
photosynthesis, oxygen and water are combined
together to form carbon dioxide and sugars.
(anabolic reactions)
 Naming enzymes depends on the substrate they
work on. For example:
The sucrase enzyme works on sucrose.
The maltase enzyme works on maltose.
 Enzymes are reusable and are only affected by the
change in temperature, pH, and substrate
concentration
Factors affecting Enzyme action
1. Temperature
 very low temperatures inactivate enzymes;
i.e. they have little or no kinetic energy to
move
 As temperature increases, rate of enzyme
action increases because more kinetic energy
is being given
 For every 100C rise in temperature, the
reaction doubles up, until it reaches the
optimum temperature which is about 400C
 At optimum temperature, the reaction is
fastest
  Increasing temperature beyond the optimum temperature starts to slow the rate of enzyme action.
 This is because enzymes are being denatured
 Denaturation is the change in the three dimensional structure of an enzyme such that it no longer fits the substrate on
its active site
2. pH
 pH means potential hydrogen
 it is a measure of acidity or alkalinity of a solution
 the pH scale ranges from 0-14
 solutions with pH below 7 are said to be acidic and those with pH
above 7 are alkaline
 solutions at pH 7 are said to be neutral
 most enzymes do well around neutral pH
 extreme pH values denature enzymes. However, exceptions like
pepsin and arginase work in acidic and alkaline conditions respectively (pepsin pH 2; arginase pH 10)

3. Substrate concentration
 Rate of reaction increases as substrate concentration increases.
 However the reaction will not continue to rise and the graph flattens
 At this point all the active sites of enzymes are occupied by substrate and thus
enzymes are now the limiting factor

Uses Of Enzymes
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Uses Of Enzymes In Seeds Germination:

 Seeds grow into plants by germinating. Seed germination involves enzymes breaking the materials stored in the seed down
to be used in growth, energy and building cells. The seed contains stored substances such as:
 Starch: Starch is broken down by amylase enzyme into maltose, maltose is then broken down by maltase enzyme into
glucose which is used in respiration.
 Proteins: Proteins are broken down into amino acids by Protease enzyme, amino acids are used in building up cells and
growth.
 Fats: Fats are broken down into fatty acids by lipase enzyme, they are used in making cell membranes.
 In order for a seed to germinate, some conditions must be present:
 Water: To activate the enzymes.
 Oxygen: To be used for respiration.
 Warm Temperature: For providing the best conditions for enzymes to work and optimum temperature.