All of us are aware of the importance of the catalysts in bio-chemistry. For a high school learner like me, catalysts ,and therefore, enzymes play a bridge-like role that connect high school bio to high school chemistry.
Yet, I got baffled about the two common energy profiles drawn for an anonymous reaction with a presence of a catalyst. The question may seem rudimentary, I agree, but the possible answers to my question were too technical for me to understand.
One of the energy profiles had several curves in the pathway for $E$, and the other one has only one curve in the pathway where the catalyst should have affected.
My guess is that the first energy profile is about a net change in $E_\mathrm{a}$ but the second one demonstrates the reality when an exothermic reaction occurs.
Now, here are the questions:
- Why are the two energy profiles different? Please be as if you're teaching thermo-chemistry to a little kid!
- Why do those curves occur in the latter energy profile and is there a way to know how many of those curves will occur in the presence of a catalyst?
Image credits: chemwiki.ucdavis.edu (page here) and wiki (page here).