What would happen if activation energy barriers didn’t exist?
a. ...

Question

What would happen if activation energy barriers didn’t exist?
a. Substrates would not bind properly to enzymes;
b. Chemical reactions in the body would never occur;
c. Enzyme function would not be affected;
d, Metabolic reactions would proceed even if their products were not needed.

Accepted Answer

Hello everyone here's our next question. Metabolic reactions will be prolonged in the absence of which of the following. So let's work our way through these choices here. Choice A says substrate. Well, the substrate, is that one of the reactant is that binds to the active site on the enzyme that's catalyzing the reaction. And so if a substrate is absent, um the reaction can't go forward. That's one of the reactant. Since in a metabolic reaction. So we will not have it prolonged, it will cease if the substrate is absent. So Choice A is not our answer. Choice B says activation energy. Well, the activation energy is the minimum amount of energy that's required by reacting molecules to get converted into product. And so we kind of think of that graph the activation energy of a reaction and this activation energy. Is this extra energy needed. So now imagine that this barrier is missing. So we get rid of it. Well, in that case we have many more molecules that will be able that will have enough energy have the minimum amount of energy needed to progress in this reaction. So that will prolong our metabolic reaction because more molecules can will go forward in this reaction without this barrier. So, Choice B. Is going to be our correct answer, activation energy for its absence, causing metabolic reactions to be prolonged. So let's just for the sake of thoroughness. Look at the other remaining answers. Choice C says transition state. Well, that's that state when you have the substrate um binds to the enzyme to the active site and then the substrate is changed to a transitional ST and then goes on to become the product. Well, part of catalysis is the stability of this transitional state. When bound to the enzyme is what catalyzed. What drives forward this reaction the stability of the transitional state um with respect to the subject as compared to the substrate. So with the transitional state is absent, this reaction will not go forward. So Choice C. Is not our correct answer. And finally, Choice D enzyme. Well, many metabolic reactions won't really essentially won't proceed if the enzyme is missing because without the enzyme, the natural rate of that reaction is to proceed extremely slowly. Because the conditions under which metabolic reactions take place within an organism um at the conditions of homeostasis are so unfavorable to many of these reactions. That essentially, um for all practical purposes, the metabolic reactions will stop because they will be going so extremely slowly. Very few molecules molecules um will be able to go through these reactions. So, Choice D. Is not our correct answer. Once again, metabolic reactions prolonged in the absence of Choice B activation energy. See you in the next video

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