Enzymes As Catalysts

Enzymes as catalysts
A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a reaction, but is not changed by the
reaction. For example, manganese dioxide powder catalyses the breakdown of
hydrogen peroxide to form water and oxygen. Watch this video to see what can happen.
Using Manganese Dioxide As a Catalyst to Decompose Hydrogen Peroxide into Water

and Oxygen Gas
If you add 1 g of manganese dioxide to some hydrogen peroxide, you will still have 1 g of
manganese dioxide after the reaction. Its mass stays the same and it is not changed
chemically.
An enzyme is a protein that functions as a biological catalyst.
The importance of enzymes
There are many industrial and commercial uses for enzymes. We use enzymes in food
production, agriculture, and in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. We also use
enzymes in the production of biofuels. Enzymes are used to make products such as
cheese, bread, leather, fruit juice and lactose-free milk. They also are used in the
production of certain textiles and in medical diagnostic testing.
• Chemical reactions in cells are controlled by enzymes. In many cases, a sequence

of chemical reactions happen one after the other, to make a particular product or
to carry out a particular function. Figure 1 shows an example of how this works.
Figure 1. Going from a starting molecule to a product in three reactions, each controlled
by an enzyme.
If one of the enzymes was missing, the product may be made very slowly or not at all:
• one of the reactions may happen very slowly, increasing the time needed to make
the product
• one of the reactions may happen in a different way, producing an unwanted
substance that cannot take part in the other reactions.
Without enzymes, the rate of reactions in living organisms would be too slow to sustain
life. For example, digestive enzymes are needed to break down the substances in food so
they can be absorbed by the body:
• carbohydrases break down starch into simple sugars

• proteases break down proteins into amino acids
• lipases break down fats and oils into glycerol and fatty acids.
Without these enzymes, you and other animals would not be able to digest your food.
Exercise
Enzymes are an example of which type of biological molecule?
a. Nucleic acid
b. Fat
c. Protein
d. Carbohydrate
Enzyme action
Each type of enzyme has a specific and unique shape. The shape of an enzyme fits the
reactants in the reaction catalysed by the enzyme. A reactant in an enzyme-catalysed
reaction is called the substrate. The substrate attaches to a particular enzyme in a
specific way – rather like a key fitting a particular lock. Figure 2 shows an example of
how this works.
Figure 2. The enzyme and the substrate fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw. Their
shapes are complementary.
This is often called the ‘lock and key model’ of enzyme action. The shape of an
enzyme’s active site and its substrate are described as being complementary. In an
enzyme-catalysed reaction:
1. The substrate fits into the part of the enzyme with a complementary shape, the
active site.
2. The reaction happens.
3. The product or products of the reaction leave the enzyme’s active site.
Once the products have left an enzyme molecule, the enzyme is ready for another
substrate molecule to attach to it. This can happen extremely quickly. For example,
catalase is an enzyme that breaks down hydrogen peroxide. It can break down about six
million of these molecules every second.
The activity of enzymes is affected by changes in temperature and pH. If the

temperature gets too high, some of the bonds holding the enzyme together will break
and its shape will change. This means the substrate will no longer fit and the reaction
cannot take place. If the pH gets too low or too high, it also disrupts the bonds of the
enzyme and changes its shape. This change to the enzyme is called denaturation.
Enzyme specificity (E)
Enzymes show specificity – each type only works for one reaction, or a very small
number of reactions. This is because of a part of the enzyme molecule called the active
site.
The active site has a particular shape that only the correct substrate (or a very
similarly shaped molecule) can fit into.
The shapes of the active site and substrate are described as being complementary. The
enzyme and substrate fit together to make an enzyme–substrate complex, allowing the
reaction to happen. The products are then produced and will detach from the enzyme
making it available to catalyse another reaction.
Activity
Use the following activity to check your understanding of the interactions involved in
enzyme-controlled reactions. (join the red dots with the green ones to match)
Enzyme activity and pH
Changes in pH alter the forces of attraction between different parts of an enzyme
molecule. There is an optimum pH at which the shape of the active site allows the
enzyme to work most efficiently. Above and below this optimum pH, the enzyme
undergoes denaturation, eventually becoming denatured and unable to function. This
change is usually permanent and cannot be reversed.
Figure 1 shows how the activities of two enzymes, pepsin and salivary amylase, change
as the pH changes.
Figure 1. Effect of changing pH on the activities of pepsin and salivary amylase.

You should see from Figure 1 that:
• the optimum pH of pepsin is about pH 2
• the optimum pH of salivary amylase is about pH 7.
This is important for their correct function. Pepsin is a protease that works in the
stomach, which is acidic. Salivary amylase works in the mouth, which is very slightly
alkaline.

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Enzymes as catalysts

Using Manganese Dioxide As a Catalyst to Decompose Hydrogen Peroxide into Water

An enzyme is a protein that functions as a biological catalyst.

The importance of enzymes

• Chemical reactions in cells are controlled by enzymes. In many cases, a sequence

• carbohydrases break down starch into simple sugars

The activity of enzymes is affected by changes in temperature and pH. If the

Figure 1. Effect of changing pH on the activities of pepsin and salivary amylase.

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