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Enzymes act only on a specific substrate due to the active site of the enzymes fits perfectly with the substrate. Like 2 puzzle pieces, they can only go together and not with anything else.
Enzymes catalyze or help a reaction take place. They bind substrates and then help position them in order that the chemical reaction between these substrates can take place. If they bound things other than the substrates they would be much less efficient in catalyzing the reactions.
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoWiki User
∙ 6y agoEnzymes act only on a specific substrate due to the active site of the enzymes fits perfectly with the substrate. Like 2 puzzle pieces, they can only go together and not with anything else.
Enzymes catalyze or help a reaction take place. They bind substrates and then help position them in order that the chemical reaction between these substrates can take place. If they bound things other than the substrates they would be much less efficient in catalyzing the reactions.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoEnzymes are proteins that have a very specific structure. The region on the surface of an enzyme that is responsible for binding and converting the substrate into the product is called the active site. The active site, in addition on the structure of the enzyme as a whole, is very specific to the substrate it catalyzes (just like how a lock can only be opened with one key)
Any substrate cannot fit into the active site of the enzyme. Such an interaction would bestructurally incorrect. Each enzyme has its own substrate (or set of substrates, which are closely related compounds with high structural similarity).
Wiki User
∙ 11y agobecause each enzyme has an active site that is the right size and shape for a particular molecule of a substrate. for example, amylase is the only enzyme that will break down starch, because the shape of its active site is a shape that will only fit starch in it.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agobecause they are coded specifically for that substrate.... think of it like a puzzle, only certain pieces fit with other pieces. hope i helped
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Why are enzymes said to be specific?
Enzymes are highly specific in their action. For example, enzyme maltase acts on sugar maltose and not on lactose or sucrose. Different enzymes may act on the same substrate but give rise to different products. For example, raffinose gives rise to melibiose and fructose in the presnce of enzyme sucrase while in the presence of enzyme melibiase it produces lactose and sucrose. Similarly an enzyme may act on different substrates like sucrase can act on both sucrose and raffinose producing different end products.
Why do enzymes have an active site?
The structure of an enzymes and its active site determine which substrates will work for the enzyme. This is called the lock and key method. The active site is the lock and the substrate is the key.
Why do enzymes usually only work on one substrate (or group of closely related substrates)?
Only certain molecules can fit into the active site of the enzyme.
How are substrates like keys and enzymes like locks?
Enzymes have an active site that is specific for a substrate - therefore enzymes only work when the right substrate is present. The surfaces of the enzyme and the substrate fit together - like a lock and key - allowing the enzyme to fulfil its function. The theory of "induced fit" is more widely accepted - it is similar, but the enzyme shape changes to accommodate the substrate.
What characteristic of hormones and enzymes allow them to work effectively with other organic molecules?
their specific shape :)
How does substrate concentration and pH affect enzymes?
Substrate concentration will affect enzymes because substrates are specific to enzymes. The pH will affect enzymes because certain enzymes will work better in certain pH levels.
Can an enzyme work on different substrates?
No, because an enzyme is a protein. The function of each protein is determined by its shape. The protein is only that protein and can do its job only when it is in its specified shape. Since an enzyme is a protein, it has a specific shape that is made for one particular substrate.
Enzymes are often bigger than the chamicals they bind to They also have a specific shape How do these facts help explain the way enzymes work?
The shape of the enzyme allows it to only accept certain substrates. For example, if you are lactose intolerable you cannot have lactose (a sugar) due to the fact that you do not have lactase (an enzyme) to break the lactose down. Enzymes, themselves, do not, split chemicals the split organic substrates such as carbohydrates, lipids (fats) and proteins.
Why are enzymes said to be specific?
Enzymes are highly specific in their action. For example, enzyme maltase acts on sugar maltose and not on lactose or sucrose. Different enzymes may act on the same substrate but give rise to different products. For example, raffinose gives rise to melibiose and fructose in the presnce of enzyme sucrase while in the presence of enzyme melibiase it produces lactose and sucrose. Similarly an enzyme may act on different substrates like sucrase can act on both sucrose and raffinose producing different end products.
Why do enzymes have an active site?
The structure of an enzymes and its active site determine which substrates will work for the enzyme. This is called the lock and key method. The active site is the lock and the substrate is the key.
Are enzymes needed in large amounts to function?
no because: How do enzymes work? Enzymes work by breaking apart large complex compounds (substrates) into smaller, more readily absorbed nutrients that bacteria can utilize. Only very small quantities of enzymes are needed to change very large quantities of substrate: typically enzyme to substrate ratios can range from 1:1,000 to 1:1,000,000.
How does the enzyme subsrate help the enzyme work?
Substrates don't help enzymes to work. Without a substrate, an enzyme would have nothing to work on. A substrate is the substance acted on by an enzyme.
Why do enzymes usually only work on one substrate (or group of closely related substrates)?
Only certain molecules can fit into the active site of the enzyme.
What is the importance of enzymes?
Enzymes break down proteins for use in the body, and they're to speed up the reaction of the product.eg - photosynthesis enzymes are used to speed up the reaction to make it into glucose and oxygen.Enzymes (pronounced /ˈɛnzaɪmz/) are proteins that catalyze (i.e., increase the ratesof) chemical reactions.[1][2] In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called substrates, and they are converted into different molecules, called the products. Almost all processes in a biological cell need enzymes to occur at significant rates. Since enzymes are selective for their substrates and speed up only a few reactions from among many possibilities, the set of enzymes made in a cell determines which metabolic pathways occur in that cell.
What is a catalyst referring to enzymes?
Enzymes are biocatalysts. They are complex proteins that exist in living organisms which perform specific reactions. For example: Lipases break down fats, Cellulases break down cellulase, and amylases break down starch. Enzymes are highly specific and work only on specific chemicals at certain enviromnental conditions (pH, temperature, etc.). Commercial enzymes are derived from bacterium, fungi and other small organisms. These hosts are engineered to produce specific enzymes.
How are substrates like keys and enzymes like locks?
Enzymes have an active site that is specific for a substrate - therefore enzymes only work when the right substrate is present. The surfaces of the enzyme and the substrate fit together - like a lock and key - allowing the enzyme to fulfil its function. The theory of "induced fit" is more widely accepted - it is similar, but the enzyme shape changes to accommodate the substrate.
What characteristic of hormones and enzymes allow them to work effectively with other organic molecules?
their specific shape :)
