Chapter 4, Problem 1CP

Use the lock-and-key model to explain how enzymes function as catalysts.

Summary Introduction

To review:

The lock and key model of enzyme functioning.

Introduction:

Catalysts are added to a reaction to increase or accelerate the rate of the reaction. They speed up the reaction by decreasing the activation energy. Enzymes are the type of proteins that act as catalysts in a biochemical reaction, hence called as biological catalysts or biocatalysts.

Explanation of Solution

Each enzyme has a particular three-dimensional shape. The pocket that is active in catalyzing a reaction is called the enzymes’ active site. The substrate of the enzyme fits into the active site of the enzyme. The enzyme is thought of as a lock in which only a specified shaped substrate called key can be inserted and this is called the lock-and-key model.

Enzymes are very specific to their substrates. Enzymes are proteins that serve as catalysts and accelerate a chemical reaction without altering its equilibrium. The substrates bind to the active site in the enzyme hence giving rise to an enzyme-substrate complex and the reaction takes place resulting in the formation of products.