Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can state that enzymes are proteins that act as biological catalysts and are not used up. (Guide: “Why cells need catalysts”; Practice Q1)
- I can explain how an enzyme speeds up a reaction by lowering the activation energy. (Guide: “Activation energy”; Practice Q1)
- I can draw and label an energy profile with and without an enzyme, showing that ΔG does not change. (Guide: Figure 1; Practice Q2)
- I can describe the active site and explain why the substrate must match it in shape and in charge. (Guide: “Enzyme structure: the active site”; Practice Q3)
- I can describe the steps of the enzyme–substrate complex model, E + S → ES → E + P. (Guide: Figure 2)
- I can explain how controlling enzymes lets a cell regulate its reactions. (Guide: “Enzymes regulate what happens in a cell”)
Calculation and skills
- I can calculate an initial rate and a later rate from product–time data, with units. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q4)
- I can use 1 ÷ time as a relative rate when an end point is timed. (Guide: Worked example 2)
- I can convert between mmol, nmol and mol to compare catalysed and uncatalysed rates. (Practice Q7)
Reasoning
- I can explain why the rate falls during a reaction (substrate used up, not enzyme). (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q4)
- I can identify the independent and dependent variables in an enzyme experiment and justify negative and positive controls. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q5)
- I can predict how changing a charged R group in the active site affects binding and activity. (Practice Q6)
All ticked? Move on to Topic 3.2, Environmental Impacts on Enzyme Function, or return to the course roadmap.