Enzymes

An enzyme is a (or rather multiple different) proteins throughout the body that quicken the chemical reactions in the body. Each enzyme has a specific job according to the substrates they act upon. Certain enzymes only fit together with specific substrates--like a key fits into a lock.

Energy of Activation Graph

The diagram to the left shows a graph displaying activation energy with and without an enzyme. Activation energy is the minimum amount of energy needed to begin a chemical process. Enzymes speed up the reaction time by lowering the energy of activation. Enzymes take the reactant,known as the the substrates, bind to those substrates at its active site. When the process is complete, the enzyme releases the new product (the substrates) and is ready to be reused.