Chemistry
Quantum Tunneling in Proton Transfer: How Enzymes Speed Up Reactions
Quick fact
In some enzyme reactions, protons cross the activation barrier by quantum tunneling, a process that becomes more important at low temperatures. This is revealed by unusual kinetic isotope effects, where the rate of the deuterated reaction is much slower than expected from classical calculations—sometimes by factors of 100 or more, far exceeding the classical maximum.
Why this is interesting
You might think enzymes are just careful matchmakers, bringing reactants together. But what if they also exploit a strange quantum loophole that lets protons teleport through energy barriers?