Enzyme Lab
Biology Name: Abbie, Clare, Hope, and Naomi Peroxidase Enzyme Lab Peroxidase Enzyme Lab Question How do abiotic or biotic factors influence the rates of enzymatic reactions (chemical reactions that are assisted by enzymes)? Background Enzymes speed up chemical reactions by lowering activation energy (that is, the energy needed for a reaction to begin). In every chemical reaction, the starting materials (the substrate(s) in the case of enzymes) can take many different paths to forming products. For each path, there is an intermediate or transitional product between reactants and final products. The energy needed to start a reaction is the energy required to form that transitional product. Enzymes make it easier for substrates to reach that transitional state. The easier it is to reach that state, the less energy the reaction needs. Enzymes are biological catalysts. They are la...