What is an Enzyme?

• Biology

What are the subatomic particles that help atoms to bond to one another?

1. Protons
2. Neutrons
3. Electrons
4. Quarks

Fill in the lefthand side of your "What is Matter?" Cornell notes. Take a picture of them and upload them here.

What is a chemical reaction?

A chemical reaction is a process that changes or transforms one set of compounds into another.

Reactants                   Products

Important Terms

Reactants - the elements or compounds that engage in a chemical reactions

Products - the elements or compounds produced by a chemical reaction

Which are the reactants?

1. CH4 + 2 O2
2. CO2 + 2H2O

Energy!

Every form of life must have a source of energy so it can carry out chemical reactions.

The energy that is needed to get a reaction started is called its ACTIVATION ENERGY.

Enzymes

Enzymes are a type of catalyst found in living things.  Catalysts, like enzymes, lower the activation energy and, as a result, make chemical reactions go faster.  

Enzymes bond to reactants called substrates.  Each enzyme is specially fitted to each substrate.

What are 2 things enzymes do?
Lower _________, speed up __________

pH & Temperature

Changes in pH (amount of acids or bases) and temperature can impact how well an enzyme works. 

If the change is large, it can cause the enzyme to "denature" or stop working.

Why could having a high fever slow down your body's ability to do chemical reactions?