Download The cost of life is energy.

The cost of life is energy.
What does this statement mean?
Exploring Biomolecules: Proteins
• ENZYMES are special proteins.
• Enzymes help all living organisms “pay the
price” of living by CATALYZING (or
helping) reactions they need to stay alive.
These reactions are called the
METABOLISM.
• Enzymes work to SYNTHESIZE molecules
and break them apart.
Catalysts: How do they work?
• For any reaction to
happen, a certain amount
of energy needs to be
present. This is the
ACTIVATION ENERGY.
• As you can see in the
graph, enzymes lower
the amount of energy
needed in a reaction. In
other words, they help
organisms pay the cost
of life.
What enzymes look like
• Enzymes, like all
proteins, are made of
chains of amino acids
that fold up in a 3D
pattern.
• The ACTIVE SITE is
the place where the
reactants are held in
a LOCK AND KEY
fit.
What can DENATURE a protein?
• We know that things can break. With that
in mind, consider the following:
• Jello is made from a protein. On a Jello
box, it instructs NOT to add fresh or frozen
pineapple, kiwi, mango, or figs. Why?
• Yesterday, we talked about a chart
measuring ventillations of a fish. How
does temperature (too hot and too cold)
affect the function of proteins?
Model: Toothpickase
• Follow instructions, then consider the following:
• How is this like the lock and key model of enzyme
function?
• How would toothpickase function if you had to break
toothpicks with your hands in the Arctic Ocean? Under a
broiler? Submerged in a vat of acid?
• What effect would it have on toothpickase action if there
were a high concentration of toothpicks? What if the
toothpicks were mixed in with other shards of wood that
were NOT toothpicks? Would the reaction be as fast?
What does this tell you about the effect of concentration
on enzyme function?
Final Remarks
• How does the Kinetic Theory of Matter apply to
chemical reactions, assuming that enzymes are
not denatured?
• Remember, the reason it is important to eat
proteins is so you body can digest them down to
amino acids and make the amino acids into
proteins (enzymes) YOU need to stay alive &
drive your metabolism.