What is enzym?

Answer 1

Enzymes are proteins that accelerate, or catalyze, chemical reactions. In these reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called substrates and the enzyme converts these into different molecules: the products. Almost all processes in the cell need enzymes in order to occur at significant rates. Consequently, since enzymes are extremely 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.

Enzymes are known to catalyze about 4,000 reactions.However, not all biological catalysts are proteins, since some RNA molecules called ribozymes can also catalyze reactions. Enzymes are usually named according to the reaction they catalyze. Typically the suffix -ase is added to the name of the substrate (e.g., lactase is the enzyme that cleaves lactose) or the type of reaction (e.g., DNA polymerase forms DNA polymers).

Like all catalysts, enzymes work by providing an alternative path of lower activation energy for a reaction and dramatically accelerating its rate. Some enzymes can make their conversion of substrate to product occur many millions of times faster. For example, the reaction catalysed by orotidine 5'-phosphate decarboxylase will consume half of its substrate in 78 million years if no enzyme is present. However, when the decarboxylase is added, the same process takes just 25 milliseconds.[2] Chemically, enzymes are like any catalyst and are not consumed in chemical reactions, nor do they alter the equilibrium of a reaction. However, enzymes do differ from most other catalysts by being much more specific.

Enzyme activity can be affected by other molecules. Inhibitors are molecules that decrease enzyme activity, and activators are molecules that increase activity. Drugs and poisons are often enzyme inhibitors.

Some enzymes are used commercially, for example, in the synthesis of antibiotics. In addition, some household cleaning products use enzymes to speed up chemical reactions (e.g., enzymes in biological washing powders break down protein or fat stains on clothes).

Answer 2

It seems to be the same answer Cristi@n wrote, but it's a little bit different and what is more I wrote the source, so, if you want to know something more you can get some more info.

Enzymes are proteins that accelerate, or catalyze, chemical reactions. In these reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called substrates and the enzyme converts these into different molecules: the products. Almost all processes in the cell need enzymes in order to occur at significant rates.

Not all biological catalysts are proteins, since some RNA molecules can also catalyze reactions.
Enzymes are usually named according to the reaction they catalyze.

Some enzymes can make their conversion of substrate to product occur many millions of times faster.
Chemically, enzymes are like any catalyst and are not consumed in chemical reactions, nor do they alter the equilibrium of a reaction.
However, enzymes do differ from most other catalysts by being much more specific.

Enzyme activity can be affected by other molecules. Inhibitors are molecules that decrease enzyme activity, and activators are molecules that increase activity. Drugs and poisons are often enzyme inhibitors.

Some enzymes are used commercially, for example, in the synthesis of antibiotics. In addition, some household cleaning products use enzymes to speed up chemical reactions (e.g., enzymes in biological washing powders break down protein or fat stains on clothes).

Answer 3

if you mean "enzyme" an enzyme is a chemical in the body that breaks down other chemicals into smaller parts. The enzyme itself is unaffected by the process - it breaks down other chemicals but doesn't actually change or get broken down itself.

When you digest food, enzymes are used to break it down into substances that the body absorbs. Also, energy is released when chemicals are broken down and this energy is used to power the body.

Answer 4

Enzyme is a biological catalyst. It accelerates or decelerates a biochemical reaction without participating in the reaction.

Answer 5

Enzyme is a protein that behaves as a catalyst in chemical reactions. You can read all about it on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzyme

Answer 6

It is a protein that acts as a catalyst to speed up or make possible a difficult biochemical reaction by lining up molecules so that their reactive sites are in close proximity. There are thousands in the body. When the reaction is over, they are unchanged.