Question

How does an enzyme lower the activation energy?

Answer 1

In some chemical reactions enzymes may behave as a catalyst because they provide its active site in the reaction and due to which activation energy of the whole chemical reaction gets reduced.

**Complete step by step solution:
Some important points regarding the lowering of activation energy of a chemical reaction by the enzymes are as follow:
- Enzymes have some active sites in it and binds to the reactant or to the substrate through this active site and creates changes or alteration in the bonds and structure of the substrate, such that deformed structure of substrate gets similarity with the structure of substrate in the transition state.
- And as we know that on the highest peak of the threshold energy substrate will attain the transition state for easily converting into product and in the presence of enzymes that similar kind of state was attained before reaching the threshold point, as a result of which activation energy of the chemical reaction gets reduced.
- Enzyme brings the substrate to the correct orientation after attaching with that and due to this entropy of the reaction also reduces which also helps for lowering the activation energy.
Due to the above given points enzymes lower the activation energy.

Note: Here some of you may think that enzyme is also taking part in the chemical reaction because it gets bound with the substrate, but that is not true because before the formation of product enzyme leaves the substrate and gets available in the previous state.