Enzymes and Nucleic Acids

RNA or protein molecules that serve as biological catalysts for most of the chemical reactions that occur in living cells - Enzymes A molecule that speeds up the rate of reactions (sometimes 1 million times faster) - Catalyst Catalysts speed up chemical reactions by - Lowering activation energy The amount of energy needed to begin a reaction - Activation Energy 2 parts of a Chemical Reaction - Reactants and Products 2 things a reaction can do - Anabolic Reaction or Catabolic Reaction Any metabolic reaction in which simpler substances are combined to form more complex substances - Anabolic reaction The process in which complex molecules are broken down into simpler substances - Catabolic Reaction Substance an enzyme acts upon - Substrate Region where the substance fits into the enzyme - Active Site The sequence of amino acids in a protein determine its - Shape The shape of a protein determines its - Function Factors Affecting Enzyme Rate - Temperature, Concentration, and pH Enzymes work best @ - A certain pH and temperature Enzyme rate depends on - Concentration of enzymes & substrate To unravel or change shape - Denature Enzyme rate may denature - At extreme pH or temperature Enzymes are not ______ _____ during a reaction - Chemically changed All enzymes are - Proteins Not all proteins - Are enzymes Sometimes enzymes need "helpers", these helpers are called - Coenzymes (aka vitamins) Enzymes are named for - The chemicals they "go to work" on Enzyme named always end in - -ASE The 1st part of the name of an enzyme is - What their substance is Nucleic Acids are composed of - C,H,O,N,P 2 types of Nucleic acids - DNA and RNA DNA and RNA are examples of - Polymers