This seems like simple logic, but need clarification...

[mariposas905]

The EK book says " Enzymes don't react with their substrate, they facilitate its reaction with other substrates." However, other books and google says "enzymes bind to their substrate" and the commonly known equation is also "E+S gives ES gives E+P."

Doesn't all this mean E is reacting with S? I always assumed "binding" meant "reacting." I might be misunderstanding what EK is trying to tell me, so would rly like some clarification. Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[aldol16]

Binding does not mean reacting. A chemical reaction means that you enter the reaction with some substrates and you exit with chemically-different products. No chemical change has occurred with substrate binding to an enzyme. You can think of the enzyme as providing a viable surface for the reaction.