Enzyme activation energy
Enzymes catalyze chemical reactions. (IB Topic 2.5) They have an active site where the
substrate binds and a reaction occurs when a substrate collides with an active site.
Enzymes speed up these reactions because they reduce the reaction’s activation energy.
Activation energy = the minimum amount of energy required to start a chemical reaction.
Answer the following questions.
1. Name a specific biological example of a reaction like the diagram above which begins
with one large molecule and ends with two smaller molecules?
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2. Describe what happens to the large molecule at the peak of the graph shown above.
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3. Explain what is meant by the term, “activation energy” in a reaction like this.
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© David Faure, InThinking [Link]/biology 1
Enzyme activation energy
4. Compare and contrast the activation energy in the enzyme catalysed reaction and the
reaction without enzymes.
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5. Describe how lowering the activation energy would change the rate of the reaction.
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Extension question – Review of enzymes
4. Explain how the lock and key model illustrates how enzymes work, the active site, and
their substrate and product(s). A labelled diagram may be used.
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© David Faure, InThinking [Link]/biology 2
