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"Enzymes are biological catalysts, which increase the rate of chemical reactions within living cells. They effectively lower the activation energy required for the chemical reaction to start, without undergoing any physical change"
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Analysing evidence and drawing conclusions Background information: Enzymes are biological catalysts, which increase the rate of chemical reactions within living cells. They effectively lower the activation energy required for the chemical reaction to start, without undergoing any physical change. They are not used up by the reactants, and therefore do not appear within the products. Enzymes are globular proteins, either in a tertiary or quaternary protein form. The shape is three dimensional, with one area, designed specifically for a particular substrate called the active site. The active site consists of a sequence of amino acids which will chemically bind with a substrate, altering the chemical bonds of the structure and therefore making it easier for a particular reaction to take place. The substrate binds to the active site of the enzyme to form an enzyme substrate complex. This lowers the activation energy, allowing the reaction to take place at a lower temperature. When...
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