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Praestrigiator
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Could someone help me figure out the activation energy of a urea hydrolysis reaction when catalyzed by urease?
Activation energy is the minimum amount of energy required for a chemical reaction to occur. It is the energy needed to overcome the energy barrier between reactants and products.
The higher the activation energy, the slower the reaction rate. This is because a higher activation energy means that more energy is needed for the reaction to occur, making the reaction less likely and slower.
No, activation energy cannot be negative. It is always a positive value as it represents the energy needed for a reaction to occur, and energy cannot have negative values.
Activation energy can be determined experimentally by measuring the reaction rate at different temperatures and using the Arrhenius equation to calculate the activation energy. This equation relates the rate constant of a reaction to the temperature and activation energy.
The temperature, concentration of reactants, and presence of a catalyst can all affect activation energy. A higher temperature and concentration can lower activation energy, making the reaction occur faster. A catalyst can also lower activation energy by providing an alternative pathway for the reaction to occur.