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Enzymes

Enzymes increase the speed of reactions. They are often called biological catalysts. The active site of an enzyme is very important:

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.
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).
Jump to other topics
1

The Nature & Variety of Living Organisms

2

Structure & Functions in Living Organisms

3

Organism Functions

3.1

Respiration

3.2

Gas Exchange

3.3

Transport

3.4

Excretion

3.5

Coordination & Response

4

Reproduction & Inheritance

5

Ecology

6

Biological Resources

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