Question

What properties distinguish enzymes from other catalysts?

Answer 1

Catalysts are inorganic molecules that increases the speed of a chemical reaction while enzymes are biological catalyst (ie; they are organic and increases the speed of reactions involving biological macromolecules).

All known enzymes are catalysts but all catalysts are not enzymes.Both the enzymes and catalysts increases the rate of a reaction by reducing the activation energy. But, enzymes are very specific ( absolute specificity) while the catalysts are not so. That is an enzyme can catalyse only a single specific reaction.

Catalysts are usually low molecular weight compounds while enzymes pocess high molecular weight ( ie; enzymes are more complex).

The rate of a chemical reaction that is enhanced by an enzyme ( biological catalysts) is usually far greater than the rate of a reaction enhanced by Catalyst (Chemical catalyst).