Enzymes

Enzymes are catalysts produced by living things-

Living things have thousands of different chemical reactions going on inside of them all the time.

These reactions need to be carefully controlled - to get the right amounts of substances.

You can usually make a reaction happen more quickly by raising the temperature. This would speed up the useful reactions but also the unwanted ones too (which is not good).

So, living things produce enzymes which act as biological catalysts. Enzymes reduce the need for high temperatures and we only have enzymes to speed the useful chemical reactions in the body.

A CATALYST IS A SUBSTANCE WHICH INCREASES THE SPEED OF A REACTION, WITHOUT BEING CHANGED OR USED UP IN THE REACTION.

Enzymes are all proteins, and they all work in the same way to catalyse various reactions.

They can work inside or outside of cells, e.g.

DNA replication - enzymes can help copy a cell's DNA before it divides by mitosis or meiosis.

Protein synthesis - enzymes hold amino acids in place and form bonds between…