Concept explainers
Use the lock-and-key model to explain how enzymes function as catalysts.
To review:
The lock and key model of enzyme functioning.
Introduction:
Catalysts are added to a reaction to increase or accelerate the rate of the reaction. They speed up the reaction by decreasing the activation energy. Enzymes are the type of proteins that act as catalysts in a biochemical reaction, hence called as biological catalysts or biocatalysts.
Explanation of Solution
Each enzyme has a particular three-dimensional shape. The pocket that is active in catalyzing a reaction is called the enzymes’ active site. The substrate of the enzyme fits into the active site of the enzyme. The enzyme is thought of as a lock in which only a specified shaped substrate called key can be inserted and this is called the lock-and-key model.
Enzymes are very specific to their substrates. Enzymes are proteins that serve as catalysts and accelerate a chemical reaction without altering its equilibrium. The substrates bind to the active site in the enzyme hence giving rise to an enzyme-substrate complex and the reaction takes place resulting in the formation of products.
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Chapter 4 Solutions
Human Physiology
- What are enzymes? What distinguishes enzymes from regular chemical catalysts? On the specificity of enzyme action, please comment. Which factor accounts for their specificity the most? Describe the enzyme catalysis mechanism.arrow_forwardList five properties of enzymes( biological catalysts).arrow_forwardChoose the best answer The active site of an enzyme is the place where the following happens: a)The enzyme-substrate complex forms and the reaction occurs at the active site. b)The enzyme substrate complex forms here. c)The catalytic reaction happens here. d)Allosteric regulation of enzyme rate occurs here. e)All of these are correct.arrow_forward
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