0
The answer lies with proteins. A specific kind of protein called an enzyme lowers the activation energy of chemical reactions. Reactions that would normally take years happen in seconds. Figure 7.1 shows how this effect alters chemical equilibrium. Consider a set of chemicals that have two paths to interact as shown in figure 7.1. One reaction is a side reaction that is undesirable. The other is desirable.
The enzyme lowers the activation energy for the desirable reaction making it happen quickly. The undesirable reaction does not have a chance. Also notice that the entropy of the universe is maximized by the undesirable reaction. Thus, from thermodynamic considerations, one might think that the undesirable reaction is always dominant, but because the laws of thermodynamics have no way to deal with time, this observation is seldom true. The enzyme is not violating the second law by forcing the reaction in the preferred direction. Its reaction is also spontaneous in that it also increases the entropy of the universe. By making the desired reaction happen faster, the enzyme does not give the undesirable reaction time to happen.
What else can I help you with?
Enzymes work most effectively at?
Enzymes work most effectively when they are at their optimal temperature and pH.
Do enzymes work better on larger foods or smaller foods?
Enzymes do not necessarily work better on smaller or larger foods. Enzymes work better when food is broken up or chewed and the enzymes are allowed to circulate freely around the food.
Enzymes work by what-?
Enzymes work by reducing the energy of activation.
Why is entropy irreversible?
It's not that entropy can't be reversed, it's that the entropy of the universe is always increasing. That means that while you can reduce the entropy of something, the entropy of another thing must go up even more so that in total, the entropy goes up.
What does the second law of thermodynamic say about entropy?
The entropy of the universe is increasing
What is meant by entropy?
Entropy is a measure of the amount of disorder a system has. More accurately the amount of work that can be extracted from a system. The more entropy a system has the less work that can be done. 1kg of steam at 500 degrees can do lots more work than a kilo of warm water. Entropy always increases in a closed system. Entropy is why everything eventually breaks down.
What is a sample that has greater entropy?
A Carnot cycle is a sample of something that has greater entropy. The word entropy can e defined s meaning reverse system. The concept of entropy was started with the work of Lazare Carnot.
When you straighten up your work space do you increase or decrease the entropy of your work space?
decrease
Complex organic molecules that work with enzymes to facilitate the enzymes?
co-enzymes
What is the scientific measure of disorder is called?
This is called entropy.
What is the relationship between entropy and energy in a system?
Entropy is a measure of disorder or randomness in a system, while energy is the capacity to do work. In a system, as entropy increases, the energy available for useful work decreases. This relationship is described by the second law of thermodynamics, which states that in any energy transfer or transformation, the total entropy of a closed system will always increase over time.
Enzymes work most effectively at?
Enzymes work most effectively when they are at their optimal temperature and pH.
What is exactly entropy and what is its main role in explaining the thermodynamic laws?
The thermodynamic entropy S, often simply called the entropy in the context of thermodynamics, is a measure of the amount of energy in a physical system that cannot be used to do work. It is also a measure of the disorder present in a system. The SI unit of entropy is JK-1 (Joule per Kelvin), which is the same unit as heat capacity
Does digestive enzymes will still function in the small intestin?
The small intestine is the site of work of some digestive enzymes that are secreted there. It is not an ideal site for the continued work of enzymes from the stomach, as the pH is not hospitable for the work of those gastric enzymes.
Do enzymes work better on larger foods or smaller foods?
Enzymes do not necessarily work better on smaller or larger foods. Enzymes work better when food is broken up or chewed and the enzymes are allowed to circulate freely around the food.
What is the formula for entropy and how is it used to measure the disorder or randomness of a system?
The formula for entropy is S k ln W, where S is the entropy, k is the Boltzmann constant, and W is the number of possible microstates of a system. Entropy is used to measure the disorder or randomness of a system by quantifying the amount of energy that is not available to do work. A higher entropy value indicates a higher level of disorder or randomness in the system.
What is the relationship between entropy and energy?
Entropy is a measure of disorder or randomness in a system, while energy is the capacity to do work. The relationship between entropy and energy is that as energy is transferred or transformed in a system, the entropy of that system tends to increase. This is known as the second law of thermodynamics, which states that in any energy transfer or transformation, the total entropy of a closed system will always increase over time.
