Enzymes & Chemical Reactions HOW FAST DOES YOUR BODY HAVE TO WORK TO STAY ALIVE?

Chemical Reactions in Your Body Have to Be Fast!

Factors Contributing to Fast Reactions Concentration of reactants Temperature PH Enzymes present to act as a catalyst

Enzymes Most factors within cells aren’t good for biochemical reactions So they need a catalyst Protein catalysts are called enzymes They make a reaction happen faster with less energy

Enzymes Cont….. They are not used up in the reactions, they may be used over and over again. Unlike other catalysts, enzymes are usually highly specific for particular chemical reactions. They generally catalyze only one or a few types of reactions. They can catalyze up to several million reactions per second that would normally take days

Conditions Some enzymes work best at acidic pHs, while others work best in neutral environments. Enzymes need constant temperature