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cofactor vs. coenzyme

cofactor vs. coenzyme: What's the difference?

A cofactor is a substance that’s associated with an enzyme and allows it to function, often by changing its shape or participating in the biochemical reactions that the enzyme produces. A coenzyme is a type of cofactor that provides the transfer site for such biochemical reactions.

cofactor

[ koh-fak-ter ]
noun
  1. any of various organic or inorganic substances necessary to the function of an enzyme.
  2. Mathematics.
    1. a prefactor or postfactor.
    2. the product of the minor of a given element of a matrix times −1 raised to the power of the sum of the indices of the row and column crossed out in forming the minor.

coenzyme

[ koh-en-zahym ]
noun
  1. a molecule that provides the transfer site for biochemical reactions catalyzed by an enzyme.