Chemical reactions convert REACTANTS to PRODUCTS. In nonliving systems, the presence of a CATALYST allows the reaction to proceed very quickly and have lower ACTIVATION ENERGY. In living systems, this function is carried out by proteins called ENZYMES.
- A reactant is a substance and/or compound which is added to the system in order to produce a particular chemical reaction, thereby being present in the system before the reaction takes place.
- A product of a chemical reaction is any substance and/or chemical compound which is formed after the reaction.
- A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a particular chemical reaction, thereby lowering the activation energy of the reaction.
- An enzyme is a biological catalyst that is capable of lowering the activation energy for a chemical reaction.
- Enzymes generally are proteins, but they can also be composed of RNA molecules (i.e., ribozymes).
In conclusion, chemical reactions convert REACTANTS to PRODUCTS. In nonliving systems, the presence of a CATALYST allows the reaction to proceed very quickly and have lower ACTIVATION ENERGY. In living systems, this function is carried out by proteins called ENZYMES.