What is activation energy?

All mass consists of molecules. Many molecules can exist almost indefinitely. However, some molecules cause some reaction when they come into contact with certain molecules. In order to appear, the molecules must be brought extremely close to each other and in a certain orientation. Activation energy is also involved in many reactions, as reactions usually include interruption of existing bonds. The amount of activation energy needed to start the reaction is often called an energy barrier. This energy is rarely provided by molecules that collide, so other factors are necessary for molecules to help erase the energy barrier and facilitate a chemical reaction. Heat, physical factor and adding a suitable enzyme, chemical factor, are two examples of factors that activate Molecules. This is exactly what happens to the fire. Wood can lie in wood for years without spontaneously bursting into flames. After ignition, activated by spark, is literally consumed because the heat that withE releases, adds activation energy to burn the rest of the wood. Heating of the mixture will increase the speed of the reaction.

In most biological reactions, heating is impractical because the body temperature is limited to a very small range. Heat can only be used as a way to overcome the energy barrier to a very limited extent than the cells are damaged. For reactions to life, cells must use enzymes to select an activation energy of reactions.

enzymes are protein molecules that act as Jakobiological catalysts. The catalyst is a molecule that speeds up a chemical reaction, but remains unchanged at the end of the reaction. Almost every metabolic reaction that takes place in the living organism is catalyzed by an enzyme. Enzymes have accurate three -dimensional shapes and have an active place where the molecule can connect to the enzyme. The shape of the active space allows certain molecules to be perfectly bound to it so each type of enzyIt will usually affect only one type of molecule called the substrate molecule. The reactions that are catalyzed by enzymes take place rapidly at much lower temperatures than without them.

For example, during the breathing of glucose molecules, they react with oxygen molecules and are divided by carbon dioxide and water and release energy. Since glucose and oxygen are not naturally reactive, a small amount of activation energy must be added in order to start the breathing process. When one of the substrate molecular binds the desired enzyme, the shape of the molecule, it will be slightly changed. This in turn makes this molecule easier to bind to other molecules or turn to the reaction product. As such an enzyme, it reduced the activation energy of the reaction or facilitated the ongoing reaction.

If the energy barrier did not exist, complex high -energy molecules on which life depends would be unstable and decompose much more easily. The activation energy barrier therefore prevents most reactions. This ensures stable simplediluted for all living things.