Enzymes

• Enzymes are biological catalysts made of proteins that speed up chemical reactions.
• Catalysts are substances that speed up reactions without being used up or changed.
• A substrate is a substance that is changed during an enzyme-controlled reaction (a reactant).
• Enzymes are specific as the substrate has to bind to its active site which has a specific shape.
• The active site is where the substrate molecule binds to the enzyme.
• An enzyme becomes denatured when its active site changes shape and the substrate can no longer bind to it.