Enzymes: Properties Composition Active site and Classification

Biocatalyst i.e., Enzymes are proteins that increase rate of biochemical reactions converting substrate into product.

Properties of enzymes

• As almost all Enzymes are proteins, their ability to catalyze reactions is attributable to their primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures​
• Enzymes accelerate chemical reactions tremendously​
• Highly specific with respect to their reactants​
• Work at specific temperature, pH and substrate concentration​
• Get denature at high temperature and extremes pH​
• Generally do not change during the course of reaction ​
•  Catalyze only thermodynamically possible reactions ​
• A small amount of enzyme is sufficient for a large change in the rate of reaction​
•  Don’t change the position of equilibrium and direction of the reaction​
•  Enhance rate of any chemical reaction by decreasing the activation energy barrier of reactants​
• Usually act by forming a transient complex with the reactant, thus stabilizing the transition state​
• Reactants of enzyme catalyzed reaction are called substrates​

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