(a) (i) What is meant by the term metabolism?
(ii) Give an example of one anabolic reaction and one catabolic reaction in animals - Leaving Cert Biology - Question 12 - 2019
Question 12
(a) (i) What is meant by the term metabolism?
(ii) Give an example of one anabolic reaction and one catabolic reaction in animals.
(b) "The single most important pr... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:(a) (i) What is meant by the term metabolism?
(ii) Give an example of one anabolic reaction and one catabolic reaction in animals - Leaving Cert Biology - Question 12 - 2019
Step 1
What is meant by the term metabolism?
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Answer
Metabolism refers to all the chemical reactions that occur within an organism, whether in cells or throughout the body. These reactions include processes that break down substances to generate energy (catabolism) as well as reactions that utilize energy to build cellular components (anabolism).
Step 2
Give an example of one anabolic reaction and one catabolic reaction in animals.
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Answer
An example of an anabolic reaction in animals is protein synthesis, where amino acids are assembled to form proteins. An example of a catabolic reaction is cellular respiration, where glucose is broken down to produce energy in the form of ATP.
Step 3
What is an enzyme?
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An enzyme is a biological catalyst, primarily composed of proteins, that accelerates chemical reactions by lowering the activation energy required for the reaction to proceed.
Step 4
Which type of biomolecule are enzymes?
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Enzymes are primarily proteins.
Step 5
Name two factors that affect enzyme action.
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Two factors that can affect enzyme action are temperature and pH. Both can influence the structure of the enzyme and its ability to function effectively.
Step 6
What is meant by the term specificity in relation to enzyme activity?
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Specificity refers to the ability of an enzyme to select and act only on a particular substrate or group of substrates, meaning that each enzyme is tailored to facilitate specific reactions.
Step 7
Name the part of an enzyme responsible for its specificity.
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The part of an enzyme responsible for its specificity is called the active site.
Step 8
Give a detailed account of how enzymes work.
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Enzymes work by providing an active site that is complementary to the substrate. When a substrate binds to the active site, it can induce a change in the enzyme's shape. This conformational change facilitates the formation of the enzyme-substrate complex, allowing the chemical reaction to occur. The products formed can then be released, and the enzyme remains unchanged, ready to catalyze another reaction.
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