PRE- LAB 4

1. What is a catalyst and a catalysis reaction?

 Catalysts are the unsung heroes of the chemical reactions that make human
society work. A catalyst is a material that accelerates a chemical reaction.
With the help of catalysts, molecules that may take years to interact can
now be completed in seconds. Factories rely on catalysts to make
everything from plastics to medicines. The catalyst helps to process
petroleum and coal into liquid fuels. They are the main players in clean
energy technology. Natural catalysts in the body-called enzymes-even play
an important role in digestion and other aspects.

 Catalysis reaction: Catalysis, in chemistry, changes the rate of a chemical

reaction by adding substances that are not consumed during the reaction,
usually by accelerating it. The rate of chemical reactions—that is, how
quickly they occur—depends on many factors, including the chemical
nature of the reacting substances and the external conditions to which they
are exposed.

2. Compare the basic difference between chemical catalysts and biological

catalysts.

Chemical catalysts Biological catalysts

1.Chemical catalysts are simple 1. Biological catalysts or enzymes are
inorganic molecules with low molecular high molecular weight globular
weight. proteins.
2.They remain unchanged at the end of 2.Their composition may change at the
reaction. end of reaction.
3.They are slower compared to 3.Their catalyzing effect is very high.
enzymes. i.e., faster than chemical catalyst.
4.They are not reaction specific. 4.They are reaction specific. i.e., One
5.They function within wide range of enzyme or biological catalyst may
temperatures, pH or pressure. catalyze only particular type of reaction
e.g.: vanadium dioxide, platinum and not many.
5.They are intolerant to temperature and
pH changes. An enzyme cannot
function outside its temperature or pH
 range.
e.g., amylase, lipase, pepsin

 Biological catalysis involves an enzyme usually working in conjunction with a co-

enzyme. These enzyme/co-enzyme systems are highly specific and are usually
only effective for one reaction. Catalysis of non- biological reactions is usually
much more general, and any one catalyst will be effective in many reactions.

 Catalysts which catalyze the chemical reactions taking place in human body such
as enzymes are called bio- catalyst and other one's which are generally used in
laboratory by chemists for multiple type of reactions are chemical catalysts.

3. What are enzymes? Describe their basic four properties?

 Enzymes: are biological catalysis. They are specialized proteins (except
ribozymes) capable of catalyzing specific reactions in the cells. An enzyme is
a highly selective catalyst that greatly accelerates both the rate and specificity
of metabolic reactions.

 Four basic properties:

- Catalytic Property:
+ Enzymes have extra- ordinary catalytic power.
+ They are active in very small quantities.
+ A small amount of enzyme is enough to convert a large quantity of
substrates.
+ The enzymes remain unchanged after the reaction.
+ The turnover number of enzymes ranges from 0.5 to 600000
(Turn over number: The number of substrate molecules converted by one molecule of
enzyme per second when its active site is saturated with the substrate.)
Ex:
Enzyme Turnover Number
Turnover Number
Enzyme
(Per sec)
1 Carbonic anhydrase 600000
2 Acetylcholinesterase 280000
3 Penicillinase 2000
4 Chymotrypsin 100
5 DNA Polymerase I 15
6 Lysozyme 0.5
- Specificity.
+ Enzymes are very specific in their action.
+ Particular enzyme acts on a particular substrate only.
+ Enzymes are also specific to a particular type of reaction.
+ In some rare cases, the specificity may not be too strong.
+ Enzymes show different types of specificity such as: Bond specificity,
Group Specificity, Substrate specificity, Stereoscopic specificity,
Geometric Specificity and Cofactor Specificity.

- Reversibility.
+ Most of the enzymes catalyzed reactions are reversible.
+ The reversibility of the reaction depends upon the requirements of the
cell.
+ In some cases, there are separate enzymes for forward and reverse
reaction.
+ Some enzyme- catalyzed reactions are not reversible.

- Sensitiveness to heat and temperature and pH.

+ Enzymes are very sensitive to heat and temperature. (They’re thermo-
labile.)
+ The maximum activity of an enzyme will be at normal temperature.
+ Correct temperature for the maximum activity is call optimum
temperature.
+ Enzymes will be inactive at very low temperature. (This is the reason
for preserving food and vegetables in the refrigerator)
+ The enzymatic activity increases with increase in temperature up to a
certain level.
+ At higher temperature (60- 70oC), the enzyme is destroyed or
denatured.

Optimum pH values of Some Common Enzymes

Enzyme Substrate Optimum pH Location
Pepsin Peptide Bond 1.5 to 2.0 Stomach
Sucrase Sucrose 6.2 Small Intestine
Amylase Amylose 6.7 to 7.0 Pancreas
Urease Urea 7.0 Liver
Trypsin Peptide Bond 7.7 to 8.0 Small Intestine
 Lypase Lipids 8.0 Pancreas

+ Enzymes are specific for their PH requirement.

+ Some enzymes are active in acidic pH (pH below 7), some are active
in basic pH (pH above 7) and some others are in neutral pH.
+ The correct pH of an enzyme is denoted as Optimum pH.
4. How many types of enzymes are there? List them and give at least 1 example.
- There are six types of enzymes: hydrolase, oxidoreductase, lyase, transferase,
ligase and isomerase.
- Oxidoreductases:
+ Oxidoreductases catalyze oxidation reactions in which electrons tend to move
from one molecular form to another.
+ These catalyze oxidation and reduction reactions. Ex: pyruvate dehydrogenase,
catalyzing the oxidation of pyruvate to acetyl coenzyme A.

5. Define the term “optimal temperature” of an enzyme.

Each enzyme has a temperature range to achieve the maximum reaction rate. This
maximum value is called the optimum temperature of the enzyme. The optimum
temperature for most enzymes is about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius).

6. What makes biological catalysts specific? Define the “active site” of the
enzyme and the “substrate”
- The working principle of biocatalysts is very different. Biocatalysts are
not metals with fast and loose electrons, but large complex molecules
called enzymes, which contain specific pockets for reactants.
- Substrate: A reactant in a chemical reaction is called a substrate when
acted upon by an enzyme.
- Active site: The active site is the part of an enzyme to which substrates
bind and where a reaction is catalyzed.