Question

The amount of energy needed fo a reaction to take place is the activation energy. En zymes can lower the activation energy of a chemical reaction, which of the fallowing describes a way that process could happen?

Answer 1

Enzymes lower the activation energy by forming a complex with substrate (enzyme-substrate complex). There are a few mechanisms of enzymes activity:

• Enzymes can change the charge distribution of the molecule

• Enzymes can change the substrate bonds

• Enzymes can reduce the reaction entropy.

All of the mechanisms tend to bring the molecule (reactant) to unstable state called the transition state (high-energy state).