Question

How do enzymes lower the activation energy?

Answer 1

Lowering of activation energy by enzymes:

1. Activation energy is the minimum energy required for the activation of atoms or molecules to undergo a chemical transformation/reaction.
2. They bring reactants close enough so that they don’t need to dissipate extra energy when they collide at random.
3. Binding reactants at the active site, allows the molecules to interact with less energy.
4. Reactions also occur via a different mechanism to lower activation energy.
5. Enzyme activities depend on the nature of substrate, temperature, ionic concentration, and pH of the surroundings.
6. Digestive enzymes secreted in the acidic environment (low pH) of the stomach help break down proteins into smaller molecules,
7. Trypsin (pH 8) is another enzyme in the digestive system, which breaks protein chains in food into smaller parts.