Question:
The activation energy for the acid catalysed hydrolysis of sucrose is 6.22 kJ mol–1, while the activation energy is only 2.15 kJ mol–1 when hydrolysis is catalyzed by the enzyme sucrase. Explain.
Solution:
Mainly the enzymes are biocatalyst which provides an alternative path to reduce the reactions activation energy. Using enzyme sucrase, the hydrolysis of sucrose is much faster than conventional acidic hydrolysis.