Chapter 1(water) A.)State five properties of water and explain their importance to living organisms.(10m) i.)water is bipolar molecule.

in each water molecule,oxygen atom is slightly negatively charged and two hydrogen atoms are slightly positively charged.thus,water acts as the universal solvent for ions and polar molecules.it acts as a medium for biochemical reactions between dissolved chemicals in cells. ii.)water can form hydrogen bonds.hydrogen bond is formed between positively charged hydrogen atom of one water molecule with the negatively charged oxygen molecule of another water molecule.this creates high cohesive force which together with the adhesive force produces capillary action. iii.)water has low viscosity because the hydrogen bonds between the water molecules are continuously broken and reformed.this enables water to act as a good lubricant in organisms. iv.)water has a high surface tension caused by high cohesive force between water molecules on the surfaces of water.high surfaces tension can support small and light organisms such as insects.this creates a habitat on the water surfaces. v.)water has high specific heat capacity,which mean that a high amount of energy is required to raise the temperature of 1 g water by 1 degree Celsius.this enables water act as thermal buffer to create a constant internal or external environment for living organisms.

Enzyme a.)define the term enzyme.(1m) an enzyme is a biological organic catalyst produced by living cells.they speed up the rate of biochemical reactions. b.)state the characteristics of the enzyme. -enzymes are globular proteins with precise three dimensional configurations. -enzymatic actions are highly specific because enzymes have active sites and only catalyse a reaction when the substrate have complementary configuration with active site. -enzymes are not damaged or destroyed by reactions it catalyses. -enzymes have high turnover rate.turnover rate is the number of substrate molecule catalysed by an enzyme per minute. -enzymatic actions are usually reversible as it can catalyse reactions in both directions.

c.)explain the relationship between the structures of enzyme with its mechanism of action.(9m) -an enzyme is a large globular protein with specific three dimensional configurations. -certain grooves on the enzyme structure act as an active site. -the active site of an enzyme contains amino acid side chains with specific charges. -a substrate is a chemical that an enzyme acts on and has a complementary configuration and charges with the active site of enzyme. -The substrate attaches to the active site of the enzyme to form enzyme-substrate complex. -this is explained b the lock and keyhypothesis in which the shape of substrate that acts as the keyfits into the active site of an enzyme that acts as the lock,forming an enzymesubstrate complex. -enzymatic action is specific as only substrates with a complementary shape and charges can bind to the active site of an enzyme. -substrate in the enzyme-substrate complex goes through reaction into one or more products,which are then released from the active site of enzyme. -enzymes that are not altered or destroyed is released and can be reused to catalyse another reaction.