2.2.4

Enzymes

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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:

Illustrative background for Active siteIllustrative background for Active site ?? "content

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.
Illustrative background for Lock and keyIllustrative background for Lock and key ?? "content

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

1The Nature & Variety of Living Organisms

2Structure & Functions in Living Organisms

3Organism Functions

3.1Respiration

3.2Gas Exchange

3.3Transport

3.4Excretion

3.5Coordination & Response

4Reproduction & Inheritance

5Ecology

6Biological Resources

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