Subject: Biology

Topic: Enzymes

Standard: VIII

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Enzymes
The part of an enzyme where the reaction occurs is known as the active site.

Active site:

Enzyme

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Enzymes
The molecule on which the enzyme acts is known as the substrate molecule.

Substrate
molecules

Active site:
Loading… The site on the
enzyme where the
reaction occurs

Enzyme

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Enzymes
The molecule the enzyme produces is known as the product molecule.

Product
molecules

Active site:
The site on the
enzyme where the
reaction occurs

Enzyme

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Enzymes
The enzyme can be re-used.

Loading…

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Enzymes
The lock and key hypothesis states that the active site specifically
matches the shape of the substrate molecule.

enzyme

active site

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Lock and Key mechanism

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Lock and Key mechanism

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Degradation reactions
Lock and Key mechanism

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Did you know?

● Modern interpretations of the lock and key theory
suggest that in the presence of the substrate, the
active site may change in order to fit the substrate’s
shape.
● This is called the INDUCED FIT HYPOTHESIS.

Enzyme + Substrate
Enzyme-Substrate complex

Enzyme + Product

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Amylase
Amylase converts starch into maltose.

Loading… Salivary
amylase
Breaks it
Maltose
into Starch

Acts on

Starch Salivary Maltose

(Complex sugar) Amylase (Simple sugar)

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Amylasereactions
Degradation

Starch

Maltose

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Key terms – Let’s revise

● Active site - A specific region of an enzyme where the substrate binds and the
reaction takes place.
● Catalyst - A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without being
changed itself.
● Denaturation - Exposure to high temperatures or extremes of pH, produces a
permanent change in the shape of an enzyme’s active site that prevents the binding
of a substrate.
● Enzyme - A biological catalyst that increases the rate of reactions in living
organisms.
● Enzyme-substrate complex - The temporary complex formed when the substrate
binds to the active site of the enzyme.

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Key terms – Let’s revise

• Rate of reaction - The speed at which reactants are converted into products.

• Substrate specificity - The ability of an enzyme to catalyse only a specific

reaction or set of reactions which have substrates complementary to the shape of
the enzyme.

• Substrate specificity - The ability of an enzyme to catalyse only a specific

reaction or set of reactions which have substrates complementary to the active
site of the enzyme.

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Summary: How enzyme works

Enzymes are biological catalysts - they speed up the rate of metabolic reactions,
without being used up themselves. These reactions can be of two types:

Reactions where larger molecules are broken down into smaller molecules.

Reactions where small molecules are built up into larger, more complex, molecules.

Enzymes react with another molecule called the SUBSTRATE.

Each enzyme has its own special
shape, with an area, the
ACTIVE SITE, onto which the
substrate molecules bind.

This is known as the lock and key theory.

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Identify which substrate will bind to the

enzyme

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