Cofactor
A cofactor is the following:
- In mathematics a cofactor is the minor of an element of a square matrix.
- In biochemistry, a cofactor is a substance that needs to be present in addition to an enzyme for a certain reaction to take place.
- Cofactors generally are either bound tightly to active sites, or may bind loosely with the substrate.
- Some cofactors are inorganic, such as the metal atoms zinc, iron, and copper in certain forms. However, if a cofactor is organic, it is still considered a cofactor. Most vitamins and raw materials making up vitamins are cofactors. They are all necessary, in their certain cases, for catalysis to take place.
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