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Enzymes

Electrons whiz in orbitals defined by mathematics
ordained by fatalistic laws of quantum mechanics.
To Schrodinger’s equations they’re fastidious fanatics
until an outside influence one of them panics
 
A garrulous meanderer disrupts their balanced dance
magnetic his decliviy his feral energy
imposes his proximity to draw a wayward glance
ionic effervescence draws her secret synergy.
 
Despite the laws of Heisenberg her place is briefly known
revealed because a cationic center swung by
a disequilibration from a deftly timed loadstone
creates a hybrid orbit which two atoms unify

Among the macromolecules that spontaneously formed were strings of amino acids we call proteins.

These strings coil up into complex shapes and sometimes harbor binding sites which can cause a specific bond to form (or break). A protein that catalyzes a chemical reaction is an enzyme.

We are now beginning to elucidate how different enzymes twist and interact to make and break covalent bonds, and the beauty of their dance is magnificent. You can watch videos of some if you search on YouTube, such as this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GigxU1UXZXo&feature=related.

A collection of  enzymes can interact with each other and with small molecule substrates to make a process that crudely mimics what we call life: the ability to produce and use chemical energy.

Mosst enzymes have a mineral entrapped within. They have a pocket o which the substrate binds and that binding changes the shape of the enzyme, like when a bee touches a stamen. That shift in shape brings the substrate nearer the mineral, impacting the outer electrons of the molecule to either make or break covalent bonds.

The fact that minerals play such a role in much of life's chemisstry reveals the origin of life most likely took place on mineral surfaces. The enzymes enabled the surface chemistry to become portable. This was a crucial step in the evolution of self-contained cells.

Each enzyme is an autonomous piece, carrying out one or a few specific reactions, apparently oblivious to its surroundings. Yet the combined behavior of tens of thousands of such enzymes, acting in concert, introduces a new entity into the barren cosmos: a living cell. How do all these moving parts coordinate? Is there a force of integration that links them in ways beyond our perception?

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