Question

Enzymes lower activation energy in a variety of ways. Choose one of those ways and think of how you might explain that concept to a younger sibling. Can you find a particular enzyme that works in that way?

Answer 1

Answer) Enzymes lower the activation energy in mainly 4 ways;

• Making the correct orientation of the substrate
• Straining the bonds on substrate
• providing a suitable microenvironment
• Making covalent bonds with the substrate

We chose the second way of "Straining the bonds on substrate" and below is the description how you can explain it to a younger sibling.

Suppose a process of making a wooden toy as a reaction, where a wood block is a substrate and your bandsaw is an enzyme. in absence of bandsaw (enzyme) it will take you lots of efforts and time (your energy) to convert it to a certain shape (say an intermediate). in absence of bandsaw, you will try to break the wooden block and rub its edges to give it a shape which will take longer time to come to a certain intermediate shape. this energy is activation energy. by using the bandsaw (enzyme), you can cut and shape the wooden block in lesser time (another pathway of doing the same reaction with lower activation energy). and finally smooth the edges to give it a finishing (giving a final product). this way, we understand that an enzyme provides an alternative pathway for the same reaction which consume lesser energy and time.

Such enzyme is a decarboxylase which cleaves the carbon-carbon bond between amino acids.