How Do Enzymes Exemplify the Importance of Chemical Structure in Catalysis?
Enzymes are biological catalysts that are highly specific due to their unique chemical structure. The active site of an enzyme is tailored to bind specific substrates through a combination of hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, and van der Waals forces. This specificity is a direct result of the enzyme’s three-dimensional structure, which is determined by its amino acid sequence and folding.
