Which process describes how enzymes increase the rate of a chemical reaction?

Enzymes function as biological catalysts that significantly enhance the rate of chemical reactions by lowering the energy of activation. The energy of activation is the minimum energy required for reactants to undergo a chemical transformation. By providing an alternative reaction pathway with a lower activation energy, enzymes make it easier for the substrate molecules to convert into products.

This reduction in activation energy means that more substrate molecules can reach the transition state at a given temperature, leading to an increased rate of reaction. Enzymes achieve this by stabilizing the transition state and facilitating the formation of products in a more efficient manner. This is a fundamental concept in biochemistry and highlights the efficiency and specificity of enzymatic activity in biological systems.

In contrast, increasing substrate concentration would not directly enhance the reaction rate once saturation is reached, altering the products would change the nature of the reaction itself, and simply providing additional energy does not accurately represent the enzyme's mechanism of action.