What Is a Substrate in Chemistry?
A substrate in chemistry is a particular example of a reactant. Reactants go through chemical changes to yield products. In the case of a substrate, it is a reactant which has the potential to turn into a specific product, but only very slowly. The chemical reaction of a substrate is facilitated by an enzyme. Substrates are prevalent throughout both chemistry and biochemistry. History For any chemical reaction, the basic model is that you have at least one reactant. That reactant then will then shift to some intermediate stage before ultimately becoming its product. Chemical reactions only occur when the reaction is thermodynamically favorable, or when excess energy is supplied. For any reaction, a certain amount of energy to the reactant, known as the activation energy, is necessary to move it to the intermediate stage. Identification Substrates are unique in chemistry because of their need for a catalyst for the reaction to proceed. An enzyme is a chemical compound that can speed up
