Sciences for the IB MYP 4&5: by Concept

Consider these questions…

Factual —What are enzymes and what is their role in cellular

metabolism?

© Paul Morris, Radia Chibani, El Kahina Meziane and Anna Michaelides 2019
Rate of Reaction
Some reactions are very fast and others are very slow.
The Collision Theory
For a reaction to happen, the particles must have effective collision:

➔ Particles must collide

➔ Particles must collide at the correct angles.
➔ Particles must have enough energy

Effective collision of oxygen and hydrogen

molecules to produce water molecules.
Ineffective collision
An ineffective collision of oxygen and hydrogen molecules produces no
reaction; the reactants bounce apart unchanged.
Effective vs. Ineffective collision
All chemical reactions need a certain amount of activation energy
to get things started.
Activation Energy
Reactions take place when particles
collide with a certain amount of
energy.

The minimum amount of energy

needed for the particles to react is
called the activation energy, and it
is different for each reaction.

If particles collide with less energy

than the activation energy, they will
not react. The particles will just
bounce off each other.
Catalysts
A catalyst lowers the activation energy.

Particle collisions need less energy in order for a reaction to occur, increasing
the rate of the reaction.

Many proteins in your body are actually catalysts called enzymes, which do
everything from creating signals that move your limbs to helping digest your
food. They are truly a fundamental part of life.
Enzyme models
There are two mechanisms that describe how enzymes work:

● the lock and key model

● induced fit model

Find out more about these two mechanisms and how they work by using the
search terms: induced fit, lock and key, enzymes.
From analysing the words used to describe these models, which model is
represented in Figure 5.26? What makes you say that? Justify your answer!
Activity: Hire the best candidates!