BIO E105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Activation Energy, Conformational Change, Enzyme
Document Summary
Fall 2018: enzymes perform two functions, bring substrates together in precise orientation so that the electrons involved in the reaction can interact, decrease the amount of kinetic energy reactants must have for the reaction to proceed. The kinetic energy of molecules is a function of their temperature: thus, reaction rates depend on: The activation energy of the particular reaction (the free energy of the transition state) Enzymes: enzymes are protein catalysts and typically catalyze only one reaction, most biological chemical reactions occur at meaningful rates only in the presence of an enzyme. Enzymes: bring reactants together in precise orientations, stabilize transition states, protein catalysts are important because they speed up the chemical reactions that are required for life. Do enzymes act alone: some enzymes require cofactors to function normally. These are either metal ions or small organic molecules called coenzymes: most enzymes are regulated by molecules that are not part of the enzyme itself.
