Enzymes and Active Sites Flashcards

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What is an enzyme?

An enzyme is a protein that speeds up chemical reactions in living cells without being used up.

A biological catalyst is a substance made by living cells that speeds up a reaction but is not used up in the reaction.

The active site is the small area on an enzyme where the substrate joins and the reaction happens.

A substrate is the substance that an enzyme acts on. It fits into the enzyme’s active site.

Products are the new substances made after the enzyme has changed the substrate during the reaction.

The substrate fits into the active site because it has a matching shape. They fit closely together.

Each enzyme has an active site with a specific shape, so only one type of substrate with the right shape can fit.

At the active site, the enzyme helps break or make bonds so the substrate is changed into products.

The enzyme is not changed by the reaction, so its active site can be used again with new substrate molecules.

Enzymes are proteins made from long chains of amino acids that fold to form a specific shape with an active site.