Importance Of Chemical Kinetics

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The human body goes through many different reactions and processes that are necessary for humans to live. Chemical reactions by the human body are never seen with the human eye, but it is so vital that these processes are understood. Without this understanding, diseases and disorders can never be resolved or controlled. These processes may be small in size, but have a great deal of impact on the function of the human body. One vital process in the human body observed in chemistry is the idea of chemical kinetics. Chemical kinetics is the study of the rate of reactions, or how fast reactions occur.1 Three factors that affect chemical kinetics are concentration, temperature, and catalysis. As the concentration of a substance increases, the rate of the reaction also increases.1 This relationship is valid because when more of a substance is added in a reaction, it increases the likelihood that the …show more content…

The type seen throughout the human body involve enzyme catalysis. Enzymes are present throughout many key bodily processes and keep the body from malfunctioning. An enzyme catalyzes a reaction by having the substrate bind to its active site.2 This is known as the Lock and Key Theory, which states that only the correctly oriented key (substrate) fits into the key hole (active site) of the lock (enzyme).2 Although this theory makes sense, not all experimental data has explained this concept completely.2 Another theory to better accurately explain this catalysis is known as the Induced-Fit Theory.2 This theory explains how the substrate determines the final form of the enzyme and shows how it is moderately flexible.2 This more accurately explains why some substrates, although fit in the active site, do not react because the enzyme was too distorted.2 Enzymes and substrates only react when perfectly aligned and have the same

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