ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Hydrogenase

Hydrogenase is a really cool enzyme that helps to break down and create hydrogen gas! Let's pretend that you have a really big bag of candy (which we know is bad for you, but we'll pretend for this example). Now, imagine that you want to share this candy with your friends, but you don't want to just give them big piles of candy. Instead, you want to break it down into smaller pieces that are easier to share. That's kind of like what hydrogenase does!

Hydrogenase is made up of tiny little parts called molecules. These molecules work together to take in hydrogen gas and break it down into smaller pieces. Just like how you might use a hammer to break a piece of candy into smaller pieces, the molecules in hydrogenase use different tools, called "active sites", to cut the hydrogen gas up into smaller parts.

But why would we want to break down hydrogen gas in the first place? Well, hydrogen gas is a really powerful source of energy! Just like how candy gives you a lot of energy when you eat it (but then makes you crash later), hydrogen gas can be burned to create energy that we can use to power things like cars, homes, and even entire cities! Hydrogenase helps to create this fuel source by breaking down the hydrogen gas into its smaller parts.

Overall, hydrogenase is a really amazing enzyme that helps us to create an important energy source. It works by taking in hydrogen gas and breaking it down into smaller pieces using different tools called "active sites". Just like how you might break down candy into smaller pieces to share with your friends, hydrogenase helps to create a fuel source that we can use to power many things around us.