Enzymes-characteristics:
(1) Approximately all the enzymes are proteinaceous in nature. An enzyme/protein has a primary structure
(amino acid sequence of protein). Enzyme like protein has secondary and the tertiary structure.
(2) The backbone of protein chain folds upon itself, chain criss-crosses itself and so several crevices or pockets are made out. One pocket is known as ‘active site’. So the enzymes, through their active jsite, catalyse reactions at a high rate.
(3) Enzyme catalysts are different from inorganic j
catalysts in several ways. The inorganic catalysts ; work efficiently at high temperature and high pressures.
(4) The enzymes get denaturated at a high temperatures (app. 40°C). The enzymes isolated from organisms
who live under extremely high temperatures e.g., hot vents and sulphur springs, are stable and retain their catalytic power at high temperatures (upto 40° - 60°C) also. Thermal stability is “an important quality of such enzymes isolated from thermophilic organisms”.