ENZYMES NOTES

Vocabulary flashcards covering enzyme concepts: what enzymes do, what they are, substrate, active site, enzyme-substrate complex, products/reactants, and properties like specificity, shape fitting, and reuse.

Enzyme

A biological catalyst (a protein) that speeds up chemical reactions in living organisms.

Catalyst

A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed; enzymes are biological catalysts.

Substrate

The substance that an enzyme acts upon (the reactant in the enzyme-catalyzed reaction).

Active site

The region of the enzyme where the substrate binds.

Enzyme-substrate complex

The temporary complex formed when the substrate binds to the enzyme.

Product

The substance produced by the chemical reaction.

Reactant

The starting substance in a chemical reaction; the substrate before the reaction.

Specificity

Each enzyme is the specific helper to a specific substrate (enzyme–substrate specificity).

Lock-and-key model

A model describing how the substrate must fit the enzyme's active site for catalysis.

Not consumed

Enzymes are not used up or consumed in the reactions they catalyze.

Not changed by the reaction

Enzymes remain unchanged after catalysis.

Reusable

Enzymes can be reused for the same reaction with other molecules.