Enzymes

                              Enzymes

                                              

The function of an enzyme is to increase the rate of a chemical reaction. Enzymes make a reaction occur a million times faster than a regular reaction would. In order for an enzyme to break down a substance, it must have a reactant (substrate). Active site is the area where the substrate fits into the enzyme. The fit of the substrate into the enzyme must be precise and accurate. An inhibitor can change the shape of an active site disable a substrate from fitting into the enzyme and that is called allosteric inhibition. When an inhibitor fits into an active site before a substrate can, that is called competitive inhibition. The reaction rate of an enzyme depends on the concentration of the enzyme and temperature. There are two ways of using an enzyme. The first one is not producing an enzyme until it is needed. The other way is through activation when something is added to the enzyme to make it active.