EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -The ‘’lock and key” model of enzyme action illustrates that a particular enzyme molecule interacts with a specific type of substrate molecule. The lock is the enzyme and the key is the substrate. Only the correctly sized key (substrate) fits into the key hole (active site) of the lock (enzyme).

Detailed explanation-2: -The substrate binds to the enzyme primarily through hydrogen bonding and other electrostatic interactions. The induced-fit model says that an enzyme can undergo a conformational change when binding a substrate. Enzymes exhibit varying degrees of substrate specificity.

Detailed explanation-3: -In the lock and key mechanism, the binding pockets for the substrates exist in full form in the free enzyme. The substrates readily bind and the reaction is driven because the active site has better complementarity to the transition state of the reaction than to the substrates at the ground state.

Detailed explanation-4: -Enzymes are specific to substrates as they have an active site which only allow certain substrates to bind to the active site. This is due to the shape of the active site and any other substrates cannot bind to the active site.