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Body Weight and Health
Chapter 4, Problem 5

Enzymes speed up chemical reactions by ________.
a. Heating cells
b. Binding to substrates and placing stress on their bonds
c. Changing the shape of the cell
d. Supplying energy to the substrate

Verified step by step guidance
1
Step 1: Understand the role of enzymes in chemical reactions. Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up reactions by lowering the activation energy required for the reaction to occur.
Step 2: Analyze the image provided. The image shows an enzyme (labeled A) interacting with substrates (labeled B) at the active site. The enzyme binds to the substrates, forming an enzyme-substrate complex.
Step 3: Note that enzymes work by placing stress on the bonds of the substrate molecules, making them easier to break or rearrange during the reaction. This is depicted in the image where the enzyme holds the substrates in a specific orientation.
Step 4: Eliminate incorrect options based on the function of enzymes. Enzymes do not heat cells (option a), change the shape of the cell (option c), or supply energy to the substrate (option d). Instead, they bind to substrates and place stress on their bonds (option b).
Step 5: Conclude that the correct answer is related to the enzyme's ability to bind to substrates and place stress on their bonds, as shown in the image and explained in the context of enzyme function.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Enzyme-Substrate Interaction

Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions by binding to specific substrates at their active sites. This interaction forms an enzyme-substrate complex, which lowers the activation energy required for the reaction to proceed, facilitating the conversion of substrates into products.
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Activation Energy

Activation energy is the minimum energy required for a chemical reaction to occur. Enzymes lower this energy barrier, allowing reactions to happen more easily and quickly. By stabilizing the transition state, enzymes make it easier for substrates to be converted into products.
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Induced Fit Model

The induced fit model describes how enzymes change shape upon substrate binding. This conformational change enhances the enzyme's ability to catalyze the reaction by stressing certain bonds within the substrate, making it easier for the reaction to occur. This model emphasizes the dynamic nature of enzyme-substrate interactions.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
Add labels to the figure that follows, which illustrates the breakdown of a disaccharide inside a cell.

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Textbook Question
What are the reactants and products of cellular respiration?
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Textbook Question

Which of the following is a false statement regarding enzymes?

a. Enzymes are proteins that speed up metabolic reactions.

b. Enzymes have specific substrates.

c. Enzymes supply ATP to their substrates.

d. An enzyme may be used many times.

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Textbook Question

What would happen if activation energy barriers didn't exist?

a. Substrates would not bind properly to enzymes.

b. Chemical reactions in the body would never occur.

c. Enzyme function would not be affected.

d. Metabolic reactions would proceed even if their products were not needed.

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Textbook Question

Cellular respiration involves ________.

a. The aerobic metabolism of sugars in the mitochondria by a process called glycolysis.

b. An electron transport chain that releases carbon dioxide.

c. The synthesis of ATP, which is driven by the rushing of protons through an ATP synthase.

d. Electron carriers that bring electrons to the citric acid cycle; e. the production of water during the citric acid cycle.

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Textbook Question

The electron transport chain ________.

a. Is located in the matrix of the mitochondrion.

b. Has the electronegative carbon dioxide at its base.

c. Is a series of nucleotides located in the inner mitochondrial membrane.

d. Is a series of enzymes located in the intermembrane space.

e. Moves electrons from protein to protein and moves protons from the matrix into the intermembrane space.

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