What will happen to the reaction without an enzyme?
Without an enzyme, the reaction may still occur, but it will typically proceed at a much slower rate compared to when an enzyme is present. Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions by lowering the activation energy required for the reaction to occur.
To understand what happens without an enzyme, you can consider the reaction's mechanism. A typical reaction involves the collision between reactant molecules, which leads to the breaking and forming of chemical bonds to produce product molecules. However, without an enzyme, the energy required for these bond-breaking and bond-forming processes is usually higher, meaning that a greater amount of energy is needed for the reaction to proceed.
This higher energy requirement is due to the absence of an enzyme's active site, which provides a suitable environment for reactant molecules to come together, align properly, and undergo the necessary bond rearrangements. Enzymes can stabilize the transition state intermediate, facilitating the reaction by allowing it to proceed through a lower energy pathway.
Therefore, the absence of an enzyme generally results in a slower reaction rate, as reactant molecules have to overcome higher energy barriers without the enzymatic assistance.