Biocatalysis

As a biocatalyst refers to a particle that is accelerated at least one reaction catalyst. Although the biocatalyst during the reaction and is chemically involved is changed by it is after completion of the reaction to its initial state, so that it can catalyze a reaction cycles in a row.

Jöns Jacob Berzelius was the first manufacturer knowingly a biocatalyst for hydrolysis of starch.

Enzymes, ribozymes and cells

Most of them are at biocatalysts enzymes, rarely, ribozymes or whole cells. Enzyme proteins exist as a chain of amino acids. As a substrate is defined as the compound that is converted by an enzyme. A connection is referred to as an inhibitor that slows or prevents an enzymatic reaction.

Enzymes are often optimized in the course of a protein engineering and also bound to a support material, is then referred to a biocatalyst, such as an immobilized recombinant enzyme. The advantages of this technique are that the biocatalyst is then more stable and can be removed from the reaction mixture again easily.

If the biocatalyst of ribonucleotides, then it is a catalytically active ribonucleic acid which is one of the rarer functional ribozymes.

Biocatalysts allow the biochemical reactions and physiological processes of all living beings. Without biocatalysts would life as we find it on the ground, unthinkable.

Use

Biocatalysts are also used in organic synthesis, since one can thus produce products with high selectivity under relatively mild reaction conditions. Another advantage of biocatalysts is that not obtained racemates ( the formation of an enantiomer is usually strongly preferred). At a chemical enantioselective synthesis of such high enantiomeric excesses are not usually achieved.

For industrial purposes, biocatalysts are used, for example, lipases, esterases, proteases, amylases and oxidases. The biocatalysts (buffer ) is used not only in aqueous reaction media, but are also active in organic solvents. Since the mid- 80s is also known that one can use biocatalysts in supercritical fluids.

An example of a biocatalyst is chymotrypsin, it catalyzes the cleavage of protein chains. In the laboratory, it would be necessary concentrated hydrochloric acid at boiling temperature.