INTRODUCTION
SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
Question
[CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
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inhibit chemical reactions.
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increase the rate of chemical reactions.
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decrease the rate of chemical reactions.
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None of the above
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Detailed explanation-1: -Enzymes (and other catalysts) act by reducing the activation energy, thereby increasing the rate of reaction. The increased rate is the same in both the forward and reverse directions, since both must pass through the same transition state.
Detailed explanation-2: -Enzymes increase the rate of chemical reactions by reducing the amount of activation energy needed for reactants to start reacting. Enzymes aren’t changed or used up in the reactions they catalyze, so they can be used to speed up the same reaction over and over again.
Detailed explanation-3: -During a chemical reaction, the bonds between the atoms in molecules are broken, rearranged, and rebuilt, recombining the atoms into new molecules. Catalysts make this process more efficient by lowering the activation energy, which is the energy barrier that must be surmounted for a chemical reaction to occur.
Detailed explanation-4: -In biology, chemical reactions are often aided by enzymes, biological molecules made of proteins which can be thought of as facilitators or catalysts. Enzymes speed the reaction, or allow it to occur at lower energy levels and, once the reaction is complete, they are again available.
Detailed explanation-5: -Because an enzyme’s catalytic ability depends on its structure and being able to form lots of substrate binding interactions, the unfolded enzyme doesn’t work very well. Many of the reactions that enzymes catalyze involve the transfer of protons.