1. Macromolecules and Enzymes

2. Enzymes Enzymes – biological catalysts used to speed up reactions The reaction may still occur without an enzyme present, but it is much slower

4. How do they work? Substrates – site where the reactants (what is have a reaction) bind to the enzyme Active Site – site where the substrate binds with the enzyme The enzyme does NOT change, but the substrate does The reaction occurs, and the products are released and the enzyme binds with another substrate

5. Effect of temperature and pH The temperature and pH must be in check for an enzyme to be used Sometimes that can be too high Sometimes that can be too low When the circumstances are too high or too low, nothing happens When the circumstances are just right, enzymes go to work and the substrates bind

6. Macromolecules Macromolecules – large organic molecules made from smaller inorganic compounds There are 4 types: A. Carbohydrates B. Lipids C. Proteins D. Nucleic Acids

7. Carbohydrates Carbohydrates – composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen Includes compounds such as sugars (fructose, sucrose, lactose), glycogen (broken down into glucose), cellulose (found in plant cell walls), and chitin (found in shellfish shells)

8. Lipids Lipids – made of carbon and hydrogen This includes fats, oils, steroids and waxes You also have these as part of the phospholipid bilayer of the cell membrane

9. Proteins Proteins – compound made of amino acids Amino Acids – molecules that have a carbon, an amino group, a carboxyl group and another variable group (there are 20 of these and 20 different amino acids)

10. Nucleic Acids Nucleic Acids – molecules that store and transport genetic information DNA and RNA