Enzyme Specificity
The ability of an enzyme to select one substrate, or one class of substrate, and catalyse one particular reaction.
Unit
Dimensionless
In depth
Specificity arises from the precise three-dimensional complementarity between the active site and the substrate, including its stereochemistry. Enzymes routinely distinguish between enantiomers, something ordinary laboratory catalysts achieve only with great difficulty.
Examples in the real world
Urease acting only on urea; lactase hydrolysing lactose but not sucrose.