Enzyme catalysis is a process in which enzymes speed up biochemical reactions by lowering the activation energy required for the reaction to occur.
Think of enzyme catalysis like a school crossing guard. The crossing guard doesn't move the students across the street, but they make it safer and faster for them to do so. Similarly, enzymes don't cause reactions, but they lower the barriers (activation energy) making it easier for reactions to happen quickly.
Catalyst: A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change.
Substrate: The molecule upon which an enzyme acts.
Activation Energy: The minimum quantity of energy that reacting species must possess in order to undergo a specified reaction.
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