Question

The activation energy of a reaction is 20 kJ and the total energy consumed in the reaction is 70 kJ. What is the energy required for reactions?

Answer 1

Answer:

Key Points

Reactions require an input of energy to initiate the reaction; this is called the activation energy (EA).

Activation energy is the amount of energy required to reach the transition state.

The source of the activation energy needed to push reactions forward is typically heat energy from the surroundings.

For cellular reactions to occur fast enough over short time scales, their activation energies are lowered by molecules called catalysts.

Enzymes are catalysts.

Key Terms

activation energy: The minimum energy required for a reaction to occur.

catalysis: The increase in the rate of a chemical reaction by lowering its activation energy.

transition state: An intermediate state during a chemical reaction that has a higher energy than the reactants or the products.