logo
Products
Technologies
Applications
Services
Resources
Selection Guides
About
Do enzymes decrease the activation energy of a reaction?
Posted July 6, 2023
Chemical ReagentsEnzymesPhysiological Probes
Answer

Yes, enzymes decrease the activation energy of a reaction. 

Chemical reactions need energy to get started. This energy is known as activation energy. Enzymes are catalysts. Like all catalysts, they work by lowering the activation energy of a chemical reaction. That means they reduce the amount of energy needed to start the chemical reaction, thereby causing the reaction to be faster and more efficient.

Additional resources
Partitioning Entropy with Action Mechanics: Predicting Chemical Reaction Rates and Gaseous Equilibria of Reactions of Hydrogen from Molecular PropertiesEnzymesAmplite® Universal Fluorimetric MMP Activity Assay Kit *Green Fluorescence*

What are the general properties of amino acids?How do I speed up a reaction?What are the differences between oxidases and oxygenases?Which enzyme is commonly called a molecular scissor?What causes star activity in restriction enzyme digestions?