What are the characteristics of enzyme catalysis?

Enzyme catalysis refers to an increase in the rate of a biochemical reaction brought about by biological molecules known as enzymes. 

These are the main characteristics of enzyme catalysis: 

• Enzyme catalysts are highly efficient, with a single enzyme catalyst molecule capable of converting millions of molecules of reactants into products per second.  
• Enzyme catalysts are very specific to certain types of reactions, which means the same catalyst cannot be used in more than one reaction. 
• An enzyme catalyst has peak effectiveness at its optimum temperature. Its activity slows down at either end of its optimum temperature range. 
• The performance of an enzyme catalyst is affected by the pH of the solution. Enzymes performs at peak efficiency at optimum pH, which ranges between 5 and 7 pH values.
• Enzyme activity increases in the presence of a coenzyme or an activator such as sodium or carbon dioxide. The increase in reaction rate is due to the presence of a weak bond between the enzyme and a metal ion. 
• Enzyme activity is retarded or stopped completely by the presence of certain substances called inhibitors or poisons. These substances destroy the enzyme’s catalytic activity by interacting with the active functional groups located on the enzyme surface.