Question

question: 23 mr. johnson is giving a lesson on enzymes in his freshman biology class. mr. johnson displays six beakers with either a chemical substrate or chemical enzyme in them. he tells the class that each of the substrates will spontaneously degrade over a set period of time. he asks the class to identify what would happen if he were able to apply the correct enzyme to the correct substrate. which of the following is the best answer to give mr. johnson?
a. the reaction would stop immediately.

b. the reaction would be maintained.

c. the reaction rate would increase.

d. the reaction rate would decrease.

Explanation:

Enzymes act as biological catalysts. Catalysts increase the rate of a chemical reaction without being consumed in the process. In this case, applying the correct enzyme (catalyst) to the correct substrate will speed up the degradation reaction of the substrate. Option A is incorrect because enzymes don't stop reactions; option B is incorrect as enzymes don't just maintain but accelerate; option D is incorrect as enzymes increase, not decrease, reaction rates.

Answer:

C. The reaction rate would increase.