Question

Coenzyme is often a
A. Carbohydrate
B. Protein
C. Vitamin
D. Fatty acid

Answer 1

Hint: A coenzyme is an organic non-protein compound which works with an enzyme after binding to an enzyme and catalyzes a reaction. Coenzymes are also known as cofactors, but they are chemically different from. Coenzyme only works with enzymes and can’t work alone but it can be reused several times with an enzyme.

Complete answer:
As we already mentioned, A coenzyme is an organic non-protein compound which works with an enzyme after binding to an enzyme and catalyzes a reaction. Catalysis is the process of accelerating the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst.

Coenzymes work with enzymes by activating and assisting enzymes and turning substrate into product. Some examples of coenzymes are: NAD/NADP, Flavin Mononucleotide (FMN) and Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide (FAD), Coenzyme A (CoA), Thiamine Pyrophosphate (TPP) and Pyridoxal Phosphate (PAL). Coenzymes are mostly made up of vitamins. They are also commonly made from nucleotides like adenosine triphosphate and coenzyme A. If vitamin intake is too low, then an organism will not have the coenzymes needed to catalyze reactions.

We have four options, Carbohydrate, Protein, Vitamin and Fatty acid. As we know, most of the coenzymes are made up of vitamins.

Hence, The correct answer is option (C).

Note: Remember, coenzymes are different from cofactors. Coenzymes are organic molecules which bind loosely to the active site of an enzyme and catalyse the reaction while cofactors do not bind the enzyme but they act as helper molecules and it can be inorganic or organic in nature.