Introduction Of An Enzyme Essay

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An introduction to Enzymes
What is the role of Enzymes as biological catalysts?
An Enzyme is a biological protein made up of amino acids. Enzymes are biological catalysts by increasing the rate of reactions without changing the overall process. Catalysts are substances that increase the rate of chemical reactions without being used up and changed. Without a catalyst a reaction will take a long period of time to be broken down. Only a small amount of catalyst is needed to increase the rate of reaction. All Enzymes are proteins; they are a substance produced by a living organism which act as a catalyst. They are found in all living cells where they help speed up the chemical reactions. Enzymes are also proteins that are folded into complex shapes that allow smaller molecules to fit into them. The area where they fit in is known as an active site.
Enzymes and reactions

The specific nature of Enzymes
Enzymes have specific functions in …show more content…

The point where the Enzyme is most active is known as the optimum pH. Different Enzymes work at different pH levels. The optimum pH for an Enzyme depends on where it usually works. For example, intestinal Enzymes usually have an optimum pH of 7.5 and Enzymes in the stomach usually have an optimum pH of 2. As the temperature of the Enzyme increases, so does the rate of the reaction. This is mainly because the heat energy causes more of an impact between the Enzyme and the substrate. However, if the temperature is too cold then the Enzyme works at a slow pace to meet the substrate and will take longer for a reaction to occur. The most effective rate of a reaction catalysed by an Enzyme is the substrate concentration. During an Enzyme substrate reaction, the speed of the Enzyme increases while increasing the concentration of the substrate. Increasing Enzyme concentration will increase the rate of reaction as more Enzymes will be colliding with substrate molecules, so more product will be

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