1. Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions without being consumed in the process. They do this by lowering the activation energy of reactions.
2. Most enzymes are proteins that contain an active site where substrates bind and reactions occur. Enzymes exhibit high specificity and can accelerate reactions by factors of millions.
3. The Michaelis-Menten model describes enzyme kinetics, showing that reaction velocity is determined by the concentration of the enzyme-substrate complex and reaches a maximum velocity (Vmax) as substrate concentration increases. This model is important for understanding how enzymes function.