Enzymes

A. Understanding Enzymes

Enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts in the metabolism of living things. The enzymes act to speed up the chemical reactions that occur in living bodies, but the enzyme itself is not involved react.

Enzymes play a more specific in terms of determining which reaction will be driven as compared to inorganic catalysts that thousands of reactions can take place with not produce toxic byproducts.

The enzyme consists of apoenzim and prosthetic groups. Apoenzim is part of an enzyme that is composed of protein. Cluster prosthetic is not part of the enzyme that is composed of protein. Cluster prosthetic can be grouped into two coenzymes (composed of organic matter) and the cofactor (composed of inorganic materials).

B. ENZYME PROPERTIES

The enzyme has the following properties:

• Biokatalisator, speed up the reaction without being reacted.
• Thermolabil; easily damaged, when heated over a temperature of 60 º C, because the enzyme is composed of proteins that have a nature thermolabil.
• The compound is a protein that remains attached to the protein nature of enzymes.
• It takes a small amount, as biokatalisator, the reaction is very fast and can be used over and over again.
• Works is that in the cell (endoenzim) and outside the cell (ektoenzim), ektoenzim examples: amylase, maltase.
• Generally, the enzyme catalyzes the reaction works in one direction, although there is also catalyzes the reaction in both directions, eg lipase, why catalysis the formation and decomposition of fat.

C. Lipase

• Fatty Fatty acids Glycerol H2O
• Specific Work; enzyme is specific, because the active (surface attachment of the substrate) symmetric only with certain substrate surface.
• Generally, the enzyme can not work without the presence of a non-protein substance called supplemental cofactors.