Unit 3: Topic 2 - Enzyme Catalysis

Question 1

How do enzymes affect the rate of biological reactions?

Answer 1

Enzymes increase the rate of biological reactions, meaning that it increases the reaction speed.

Question 2

In terms of activation energy, how do enzymes increase the rate of chemical reactions?

Answer 2

Activation energy is the amount of energy needed for a reaction to occur. Enzymes lower the activation energy of a reaction, which means that the reaction requires less energy to occur, and thus, the reaction rate is much higher. An enzyme lowers the activation energy for a reaction by
enabling the reactants to come together and react more easily; the reactants need lower amounts of kinetic energy to enter their transition states, which is its reactive mode.