A biological catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a biochemical reaction without being consumed in the process. These catalysts are typically proteins known as enzymes, which play a crucial role in all living organisms by facilitating various metabolic processes.
Enzymes work by lowering the activation energy needed for a reaction to occur. Each enzyme is specific to a particular reaction or type of reaction, which means they are highly selective about the substances they interact with, called substrates. When a substrate binds to an enzyme, it forms an enzyme-substrate complex, allowing the reaction to proceed more quickly than it would without the enzyme.
For example, in the digestion of food, enzymes break down large molecules into smaller, more manageable ones that can be absorbed by the body. Without these biological catalysts, many essential biochemical reactions would occur far too slowly to sustain life.