catalase

Term: catalase

Literally meaning: “the enzyme that breaks down”

Origin: Anc Greek

κατά/cata(=prefix denoting “down to” and sometimes “against”)

λύσις/lysis (=λύω/leo (break up, solve)

à dissolution or a riot

+ (-άση)/(-asy)(=-ase) enzyme suffix added to the name of the substrate that the enzyme  hydrolyzes eg proteinase for protein or lipase for lipids

>διά-/dia-(=prefix denoting “through”, “apart” )

> δυο/dio(two) + στάσις/stasis(=halt) > ίστημι/histimi(=stand).

Coined/History 

In 811 French chemist Thenard (1777-1857) discovered the existence of hydrogen peroxide in living tissues and he suported that a “vital essence” must be present in the body to degrate it. In  this vital “essence” was isolated by German chemist Oscar Loew (1844-1941) and named “catalase”. Its first crystals were reported in 1937 by American chemist James B Summer(1887-1955) and the first X-ray structure of mammalian catalase was mapped in 1981 by Murthy et al. in 1949.

Sources

1.Sumner JB, Dounce AL (April 1937). "Crystalline catalase". Science 85 (2206): 366–367.

Definition

Catalase is the enzyme that breaks down od hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen.