What do enzymes do and how do they do it (this question is intentionally vague and...

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Chemistry

What do enzymes do and how do they do it (this question isintentionally vague and open ended)?

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Enzymes are biological molecules typically proteins thatsignificantly speed up the rate of virtually all of the chemicalreactions that take place within cellsThey are vital for life and serve a wide range of importantfunctions in the body such as aiding in digestion andmetabolismSome enzymes help break large molecules into smaller pieces thatare more easily absorbed by the body Other enzymes help bind twomolecules together to produce a new molecule Enzymes are highlyselective catalysts meaning that each enzyme only speeds up aspecific reactionThe molecules that an enzyme works with are called substratesThe substrates bind to a region on the enzyme called the activesiteThere are two theories explaining the enzymesubstrateinteractionIn the lockandkey model the active site of an enzyme isprecisely shaped to hold specific substrates In the inducedfitmodel the active site and substrate dont fit perfectly togetherinstead they both alter their shape to connectWhatever the case the reactions that occur accelerate greatly over a millionfold once the substrates bind to the active site ofthe enzyme The chemical reactions result in a new product ormolecule that then separates from the enzyme which goes on tocatalyze other reactionsHeres an example When the salivary enzyme amylase binds to astarch it catalyzes hydrolysis the breakdown of a compound due toa reaction with water resulting in maltose or malt sugarExamples ofspecific enzymesThere are thousands of enzymes in the human body here are justa few examplesLipases a group of enzymes that help digestfats in the gutAmylase helps change starches into sugarsAmylase is found in salivaMaltase also found in saliva breaks thesugar maltose into glucose Maltose is found in foods such aspotatoes pasta and beerTrypsin found in the small intestine breaksproteins down into amino acidsLactase also found in the small intestinebreaks lactose the sugar in milk into glucose and galactoseAcetylcholinesterase breaks See Answer

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