Question

Enzymes belong to which class of compounds?
A. Polysaccharides
B. Polypeptides
C. Polynitro heterocyclic compounds
D. Hydrocarbons

Answer 1

Hint: All living beings have chemical and metabolic reactions occurring within their bodies. These reactions include digestion of food, absorption of molecules, and production of energy. A biochemical reaction is a term used to refer to chemical reactions occurring within the body. Metabolism on the other hand is a combination of all biochemical reactions. Catabolism and anabolism (synthesis) are part of metabolism. Catabolism refers to the breakdown of substances, whereas anabolism refers to the formation of substances.

Complete answer: The biochemical reactions occurring within the body are catalyzed by globular proteins called enzymes. They only act by catalyzing the chemical reaction and do not undergo any changes themselves. A particular reaction and substrate have a specific enzyme. The enzymes are named based on the reaction or compound they participate in. Enzymes are often termed as biocatalysts. For instance, the hydrolysis of maltose to glucose is catalyzed by the enzyme maltase.
Enzymes belong to the polypeptide class of compounds. They are composed of proteins. Proteins are amino acid polymers formed by bonding two or more polypeptides. Polypeptides are defined as short chains consisting of up to fifty amino acids approximately. If peptide chains are less than ten or fifteen, then it is called oligopeptides.
Therefore, the correct option is B. Polypeptides
Additional Information
Enzymes have organic molecules that are bound to them tightly or loosely. These organic molecules are called Co-enzymes. They assist in the transportation of chemical groups from one enzyme to another. The chemical groups include adenosine triphosphate (ATP), NADH, and NADPH. Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), tetrahydrofolate (THF), and flavin mononucleotide (FMN) are some co-enzymes that have been derived from vitamins.

Note: For the progress of a chemical or biochemical reaction, only a small amount of enzyme is required. Enzymes are believed to decrease the activation energy’s magnitude. For instance, acid hydrolysis of sucrose requires activation energy of 6.22 kJ mol-1, but when hydrolyzed using sucrase enzyme, the activation energy is 2.15 kJ mol-1.