Enzymes 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.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzyme
Maltose is made of two glucose molecules bonded together (1). The maltase enzyme is a protein that is perfectly shaped to accept a maltose molecule and break the bond (2). The two glucose molecules are released (3).
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/cell2.htm
Structure and Function. Like all proteins, enzymes are composed of one or more long chains of interconnected amino acids. Each enzyme possesses a unique sequence of amino acids that causes it to fold into a characteristic shape. An enzyme's amino acid sequence is determined by a specific gene in the cell's nucleus.
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-are-enzymes-definition-lesson-quiz.html
Video: What are Enzymes? In this lesson, you will discover what enzymes are, explore how they work, and learn why they're needed for your cells' day-to-day functions. The lesson concludes with a quiz to test your knowledge.
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-are-enzymes-definition-lesson-quiz.html
Inside a bacterium there are about 1,000 types of enzymes (lactase being one of them). All of the enzymes float freely in the cytoplasm waiting for the chemical they recognize to float by.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/cell2.htm
Catalysts increase the rate at which chemical reactions occur without being consumed or permanently altered themselves. A chemical reaction is a process that converts one or more substances (known as reagents, reactants, or substrates) to another type of substance (the product).
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-are-enzymes-definition-lesson-quiz.html
In order to function, many enzymes require the help of cofactors or coenzymes. Cofactors are often metal ions, such as zinc, copper, iron, or magnesium. Magnesium, one of the most common cofactors, activates hundreds of enzymes, including those that manufacture DNA and many that help metabolize carbohydrates.
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-are-enzymes-definition-lesson-quiz.html
Enzymes have extremely interesting properties that make them little chemical-reaction machines. The purpose of an enzyme in a cell is to allow the cell to carry out chemical reactions very quickly. These reactions allow the cell to build things or take things apart as needed. This is how a cell grows and reproduces.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/cell2.htm
Enzymes /ˈɛnzaɪmz/ are macromolecular biological catalysts. Enzymes accelerate, or catalyze, chemical reactions. The molecules at the beginning of the process upon which enzymes may act are called substrates and the enzyme converts these into different molecules, called products. Almost all metabolic processes in the cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates fast enough to sustain life.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enzyme
Enzymes are made from amino acids, and they are proteins. When an enzyme is formed, it is made by stringing together between 100 and 1,000 amino acids in a very specific and unique order. The chain of amino acids then folds into a unique shape.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/cellular-microscopic/cell2.htm
what are enzymes
Enzymes are macromolecular biological catalysts.