Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions in the processes of life. They are essential for building up synthesis and breaking down digestion. Enzymes work by lowering the activation energy required for a reaction to occur. This allows substrates to react faster, forming the products.

Enzyme Example - Catalase

A specific example of an enzyme at work is catalase, which breaks down hydrogen peroxide, a waste product of cell metabolism, into water and oxygen. The steps of enzyme action involve substrates finding the active site, binding to the active site, and the enzyme binding them to form the product.

The Activation Energy

All reactants need to have a certain energy before they react. Enzymes lower the "energy wall", allowing the reactants (substrates) to react faster and form the products. They do not participate in the reaction but facilitate it by lowering the activation energy.

Mechanism of Enzyme Action

There are two main hypotheses regarding the mechanism of enzyme action: the lock and key model and the induced fit model. The lock and key model proposes that the enzyme and substrate fit perfectly together like a key in a lock, while the induced fit model states that both the enzyme and substrate undergo conformational changes to accommodate each other.

Factors Affecting Enzyme Activity

Several factors affect enzyme activity, including temperature, pH level, enzyme concentration, and substrate concentration. Additionally, there are enzyme inhibitors, such as competitive inhibitors that bind to the active site and prevent further interaction, and non-competitive inhibitors that bind to an allosteric site and distort the active site, rendering the enzyme inactive.

Enzymes are essential biological catalysts that facilitate various chemical reactions in living organisms, such as the breakdown of substances, digestion, and the synthesis of essential compounds. They operate by lowering the activation energy required for a reaction to occur and are involved in numerous biological processes. Some examples of biological catalysts are proteases, which break down proteins, lipases, which breakdown lipids, and DNA Polymerase, which builds DNA. The mechanism of enzyme action involves substrates finding the active site, binding to the active site, and the enzyme binding them to form the product.

In conclusion, enzymes play a crucial role in biological systems by speeding up chemical reactions and allowing the efficient metabolism of substrates. Understanding the mechanism and factors affecting enzyme activity is essential in various fields such as medicine, biochemistry, and biotechnology for the development of drugs, therapeutics, and industrial processes.