Question

We discussed that enzymes are biological catalysts and that one of the main methods by which proteins achieve catalysis is by stabilizing the transition state.

a. What does transition state stabilization mean?

b. What other mechanisms are utilized by enzymes to accelerate the rates of reactions.

Answer 1

Whether an enzyme reduced the activation energy of a given reaction is influenced by the fact whether an enzyme can stabilize the transition state.   The tendecny of an enzyme to bind to the transition state is more than to the substrate. The attraction of the enzyme molecule for the activated complex leads to a decrease in its energy and this decreases activation energy and hence the rate of reaction is increases. Most stable state will have less energy.

2. Enzyme are biocatalyst which allows the reaction to proceed through an alternative path.

the possible mechanisms are

The enzyme initially binds the substrate(s), in the correct orientation.

Other mechanism are    putting strain into the reactants thus allowing availablity of more binding energy for the transition state.

Change in reaction path way.