Test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

Enzymes

Enzymes are proteins that increase the speed of reactions in organisms. Without enzymes, chemical reactions in organisms would be too slow to sustain life. They are often called biological catalysts.

Active site

Active site

  • To catalyse (speed up) a reaction, the reacting chemical (substrate) must bind to the enzyme's active site.
  • The active site will only fit specific substrates to form an enzyme-substrate complex.
Lock and key

Lock and key

  • The active site is like a lock and the substrate is like a key.
  • In the same way, there is usually only one enzyme for every substrate (or one key for each lock).
Unchanged

Unchanged

  • Enzymes don't change when they catalyse a reaction.
  • This means that they are not used up, and one enzyme molecule can catalyse many substrate molecules, one after the other.
Jump to other topics
1

Classification of Living Organisms

2

Organisation of the Organism

3

Movement Into & Out of Cells

4

Biological Molecules

5

Enzymes

6

Plant Nutrition

7

Human Nutrition

8

Transport in Plants

9

Transport in Animals

10

Diseases & Immunity

11

Gas Exchange in Humans

12

Respiration

13

Excretion in Humans

14

Coordination & Response

15

Drugs

16

Reproduction

17

Inheritance

18

Variation & Selection

19

Organisms & Their Environment

20

Human Influence on Ecosystems

21

Biotechnology & Genetic Modification

Practice questions on Enzymes

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
Answer all questions on Enzymes

Unlock your full potential with Seneca Premium

  • Unlimited access to 10,000+ open-ended exam questions

  • Mini-mock exams based on your study history

  • Unlock 800+ premium courses & e-books

Get started with Seneca Premium