For an enzyme to catalyze (speed up) a chemical reaction, the active site must have a complementary shape to the substrate. This complementary shape allows the substrate to fit into the active site, facilitating the necessary interactions to lower the activation energy and promote the reaction effectively.
The other options are not correct:
- Enzymes are not destroyed by the reactions they catalyze.
- Enzymes actually lower the activation energy level, not increase it.
- An inhibitor would occupy the active site and prevent the substrate from binding, thus inhibiting the enzymatic activity rather than allowing it to catalyze the reaction.
1 answer