How Enzymes Are Biological Catalysts
Enzymes are biological catalysts. A catalyst speeds up a chemical reaction by lowering the activation energy of a reaction, the energy needed to begin a reaction. Enzymes are organic catalysts made in all or in part of protein. Like all catalysts, enzymes are not destroyed nor altered by the reaction. Enzymes are extremely efficient as a single enzyme molecule may be used over and over again. One enzyme molecule may catalyze a specific chemical reaction thousands of times every second. Because of this high rate of activity, only a very small amount of enzyme is needed to act on a relatively large amount of substrate, the substance the enzyme acts