TEAS 7 Scientific Reasoning Practice Test

Enzymes are proteins that act as biological catalysts to speed up chemical reactions. They do this by binding substrates at a specific active site and stabilizing the transition state, which lowers the activation energy required for the reaction to proceed. This means reactions happen more quickly, and the enzyme itself is not consumed. Enzymes are highly specific for their substrates and typically work best under particular conditions of temperature and pH, sometimes needing cofactors to function.

Other macromolecules have different roles: carbohydrates mainly provide energy and structural support, lipids store energy and form membranes, and nucleic acids store and transmit genetic information, guiding protein synthesis rather than acting as catalysts.