Enzymes and Metabolism

• Digestive enzymes work outside of cells, they digest large, insoluble food molecules into smaller, soluble molecules which can be absorbed into the bloodstream.
• Metabolism is the sum of all the reactions happening in a cell or organism, in which molecules are made or broken down
• Enzymes are biological catalysts made from protein
• Enzymes speed up chemical reactions in cells, allowing reactions to occur at much faster speeds than they would without enzymes at relatively low temperatures (such as human body temperature)
• Substrates temporarily bind to the active site of an enzyme, which leads to a chemical reaction and the formation of a product which is released
• Enzymes remain unchanged at the end of a reaction, and they work very quickly.
• Rate of reaction:

  • rate = amount of substrate used / time
• Enzymes catalyse specific reactions in living organisms due to the shape of their active site