Enzymes
One of the factors that define a living thing from an
inanimate object is its ability to carry out chemical reactions that are
crucial for its survival. None of these reactions are possible without enzymes.
Enzymes are not living things, but are biological catalysts
or assistants consisting of various types of proteins that work to drive the
chemical reaction required for a specific action or nutrient.
Enzymes can either launch a reaction or speed it up. The
chemicals that are transformed with the help of enzymes are called substrates.
There are two types of enzyme. Some help join specific
molecules together to form new molecules, and others that help break specific
molecules apart into separate molecules.