Chemistry
How Enzymes Lower Activation Energy Through Transition State Stabilization
Quick fact
Enzymes can bind their transition state up to 10²³ times more tightly than their substrate, effectively reducing the activation energy barrier to a point where reactions proceed billions of times faster than uncatalyzed ones.
Why this is interesting
Enzymes are nature’s master catalysts, but how exactly do they make reactions that would take millennia happen in milliseconds? The secret lies in a fleeting, unstable molecular moment called the transition state.