Enzymes perform the critical task of lowering a reaction's activation energy—that is, the amount of energy that must be put in for the reaction to begin. Enzymes work by binding to reactant molecules and holding them in such a way that the chemical bond-breaking and bond-forming processes take place more readily.

What is an enzyme and how does it work?

An enzyme is a type of protein found within a cell. Enzymes create chemical reactions in the body. They actually speed up the rate of a chemical reaction to help support life. The enzymes in your body help to perform very important tasks.

How do enzymes work summary?

Enzymes are highly selective catalysts, meaning that each enzyme only speeds up a specific reaction. ... The molecules that an enzyme works with are called substrates. The substrates bind to a region on the enzyme called the active site. There are two theories explaining the enzyme-substrate interaction.