What is the role of an enzyme in a chemical reaction?

What happens to ice when you leave it on the counter?

How could you speed up the process of ice melting?

As you think about those answers, Click here to watch a short clip regarding enzymes.

Chemical Reactions change substances into new substances.

Reactants Products

Activation Energy: the amount of energy needed to start a chemical reaction

like the amount of energy needed to push the rock to the top of the hill.

the guy in the previous picture has to apply energy to the rock to get it to the top of the hill.

once it’s there, the rock can move down the hill on its own

the enzyme pushes the reaction (by providing a bit of energy) to a point where it can continue on its own

How much activation energy was needed to melt the ice cube (a lot or a little)?

How could we change the amount of activation energy needed?by applying heat from a hair dryer to the ice cube

by rubbing it between your handsby putting it directly in the sun

Enzymes (specialized proteins in our bodies) LOWER the activation energy of specific reactions.It takes less energy to get things started

Therefore ENZYMES make it easier for chemical reactions to occur in our bodies.

They also make the reaction happen faster.

•By using an enzyme, you essentially make the hill shorter.

•What point (A, B, C, or D) shows the point after an enzyme reduced the activation energy for the reaction?

When an enzyme is involved, reactions can happen much faster.

Each enzyme can only go with one reaction. This depends on the shape of the active site.

Similar to how one specific key fits into one specific lock.