Biological Reactions Of Chemical Reactions Essay

Enzymes combine with reactant molecules (substrate) and bind them closely to one another. The three-dimensional shape of the enzyme molecule must be complementary to the shape of the substrate.

Enzymes are a key aspect in our everyday life and are a key to sustaining life. They are biological catalysts that help speed up the rate of reactions. They do this by lowering the activation energy of chemical reactions (Biology Department, 2011).

Enzymes are known as protein catalysts. The name protein catalyst suggests that most enzymes are made of proteins. A catalyst is a substance that speeds up chemical reactions without being consumed in the process. (Giuseppe, M 2002, p.69). After a reaction has been catalyzed, the catalyst can be used again to catalyze the same reaction. Enzymes reduce the activation energy (minimal energy) it takes for a reaction to take place. Enzymes can either catabolize (destroy), or anabolize (build up) a chemical system.

Enzymes are biological catalysts, which accelerate the speed of chemical reactions in the body without being used up or changed in the process. Animals and plants contain enzymes which help break down fats, carbohydrates and proteins into smaller molecules the cells can use to get energy and carry out the processes that allow the plant or animal to survive. Without enzymes, most physiological processes would not take place. Hundreds of different types of enzymes are present in plant and animal cells and each is very specific in its function.

“Enzymes are proteins that have catalytic functions” [1], “that speed up or slow down reactions”[2], “indispensable to maintenance and activity of life”[1]. They are each very specific, and will only work when a particular substrate fits in their active site. An active site is “a region on the surface of an enzyme where the substrate binds, and where the reaction occurs”[2].

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze (speed up) biological reactions in an organism by lowering the activation energy of a reaction. They do this by either straining the bonds in a molecule so that is easier to break up or by placing separate molecules/elements close to each other so that bonds are formed. Enzyme activity is influenced by an array of different factors such as enzyme concentration, substrate concentration, temperature, pH and inhibitor concentration. All of these affect the rate of reactions of enzymes and some such as temperature, inhibitors and pH can under circumstances cause enzymes to become permanently affected. Catalase is an enzyme found in almost all organisms on earth exposed to Oxygen.

Enzymes act as catalysts because some chemical reactions that make life possible are either too slow or require activation energies. For a chemical reaction to take place, the enzymes have to bind with substrates to create the enzyme-substrate complex. The substrate binds to the enzyme at the active site, reducing the energy needed for the reaction. The enzyme-substrate complex is evidence itself of a chemical reaction (Miller & Levine 50-51). According to the Lock and Key Theory, only certain substrates can fit the enzyme’s active site.

An enzyme is a globular protein that serves as a catalyst for biochemical reactions. Enzymes lower the activation energy because they stress the bonds in the substrates. A substrate is the reactant. When a substrate locks into the active site of an enzyme, a reaction is then catalyzed and the products of the reaction are released.

Enzymes are an essential aspect of our lives. They are catalysts that speed up the chemical reactions inside cells, or the process of metabolic reactions, from the synthesis of DNA down to the digestion of food in our bodies. Enzymes allow cells to grow and reproduce, as stated in the Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2 ed.) (Smith, 1997). Enzymes are proteins made from amino acids that are activated by ATP and other energy carriers. All chemical reactions start out as reactants and end up as products. In order for all reactions to be completed, activation energy must be created. Some reactions take more activation energy than other reactions do. Most chemical reactions in cells require enzymes in order to transpire quickly enough to endure life. Without the enzymes to shorten the activation energy needed to complete a reaction, life would not exist.

Enzymes are protein molecules composed of amino acids and are made by the living cell. These molecules provide energy for the organism by catalyzing various biochemical reactions. If enzymes were not present in cells, most of the chemical reactions would not proceed at measurable rates at the temperatures of living systems. Therefore, we can say that being involved as catalysts is the main and most important role of enzyme in any organism. Many reactions that are thermodynamically favored do not occur quickly because of a lack of energy necessary to initiate the reaction.

Enzymes are usually proteins that act like catalysts. The enzyme's ability to make the reaction faster

It is the protein’s shape that determines their function. Enzymes, being proteins themselves, are no different. An enzyme’s unique three-dimensional shape determines which substrate it can catalyze (Campbell et al., 2009). Substrates are the molecules that are reactants for their respective enzymes. For example, when eating a steak, we would see the enzyme protease, working to breakdown the protein substrate found in the meat (Wikipedia et al, 2015).

Enzymes are very specific in nature, which helps them in reactions. When an enzyme recognizes its specific substrate, the

“Enzymes are catalysts that speed up chemical reactions without being used up in the process” (Leady). A catalyst helps speed up a chemical reaction without being changed during the reaction. Enzymes are specific meaning that they can work with only a specific set of chemical reactions. Most enzyme names end in -ase. The shape of a protein is very important in its function for the reaction. The molecule the enzyme works on is called a substrate. In order for this enzyme to work on this reaction the substrate must first fit into an activation site. When an enzyme binds to its substrate, it is called an enzyme-substrate complex. The resulting chemicals from the reaction are called the products. Enzymes can be affected by a few variables such as pH and temperature. “All enzymes work best at a specific temperature in the reaction to work. About an average human, enzymes work greatly at 98.6 Fahrenheit or 37.5 Celsius”(Effect). The lower the temperatures are the slower the enzyme works. At low temperatures, the enzyme does not work as well because there is not enough movement between the molecules to have the substrate, and the enzyme meets and binds together. The higher temperatures can cause a denature of an enzyme. This means that enzyme shape is changing making the enzyme inactive. “The reason is that enzymes are proteins that are made up of amino acids and at high temperatures the hydrogen bonds break which then uncoils the protein and stops its function”(Enzymes). In

When chemical reactions occur in the cell, enzymes, which are proteins, help catalyze the reaction (Schultz, D. L, 2005). Due to the fact that all enzymes are proteins, the folding pattern affects how the enzyme functions and if there is not proper folding then the enzyme cannot bind to substrates (Schultz, D. L, 2005). If there were no enzymes in cells, then the process of reactions would happen slowly. As said in Worthington Biochem, without enzymes, these reactions take place at a rate far too slow for the pace of metabolism. The reason why enzymes catalyze chemical reactions is due to the fact that enzymes lower the activation energy in the cell(Schultz, D. L, 2005). Activation energy is the amount of energy needed in a reaction.