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.

Enzymes speed up each small reaction that turns carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.

The active site is the small area on an enzyme where the substrate fits and reacts.

The substrate is the molecule that an enzyme acts on and changes into a new product.

Each enzyme is specific because its active site only fits one type, or a few types, of substrate.

The lock is the enzyme and the key is the substrate. The substrate fits the active site exactly, like a key in a lock.

The substrate binds to the active site, is changed into products, then the products leave and the enzyme can be used again.

A denatured enzyme has had its shape changed so its active site no longer fits the substrate.

If the active site shape changes, fewer substrate molecules can bind, so the reaction slows or stops.

The enzyme is not used up. It can be used again to catalyse more reactions.