The key difference between chemical and biochemical reactions is that a chemical reaction is a process in which one or more reactants are converted into one or more different products regardless of the surroundings, while a biochemical reaction is the transformation of one molecule to a different molecule only inside a living cell.
Change in substances can be due to physical changes and chemical changes. In a physical change, there is a difference in the appearance, smell, or simple display of substances without a change in composition. In a chemical change, there is a change in the composition of the substances. Chemical and biochemical reactions are both due to change in the composition of the substances.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What are Chemical Reactions
3. What are Biochemical Reactions
4. Similarities – Chemical and Biochemical Reactions
5. Chemical vs Biochemical Reactions in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Chemical vs Biochemical Reactions
What are Chemical Reactions?
A chemical reaction is a process in which one or more reactants are converted to one or more different products regardless of the surroundings. It is also defined as a process that leads to the chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. The substances initially involved in the chemical reaction are reactants (reagents). In chemical reactions, the chemical change of the reactants usually takes place. This changes the composition of reactants. Due to this, it yields one or more products. Products often have different properties from the products.
Figure 01: Chemical Reaction
Reactions are normally catalyzed by inorganic catalysts. The chemical reactions are described using chemical equations. The chemical equations consist of the starting materials, end products, sometimes intermediate products, and reaction conditions. These reactions take place at a characteristic reaction rate at a peculiar temperature and chemical concentration. Typically, the reaction rate increases with the increase in temperature because there is more thermal energy available to reach the activation energy required for breaking bonds between atoms. Reactions may proceed in to forward or reverse direction until they reach equilibrium. Moreover, chemical reactions are further classified into different subtypes such as synthesis reactions, decompositions reactions, addition reactions, substitution reactions, precipitation reactions, neutralization reactions, and redox reactions.
What are Biochemical Reactions?
A biochemical reaction is the transformation of one molecule to a different molecule only inside a living cell. Biochemical reactions are mainly controlled by enzymes. These proteins specifically can control single reactions. The reactions can be controlled by enzymes very precisely. The reaction takes place in the specific region of the enzyme. This region is an active site. It is a small part of the enzyme which is usually found in a cleft. It has several peculiar amino acid residues. The rest of the enzyme is mainly for stabilization.
Figure 02: Biochemical Reaction
The catalytic function of enzymes relies on several factors, including molecular shape, bond strain, proximity, and orientation of substrate molecules relative to the enzyme, proton donation or withdrawal, electrostatic interactions, etc. The biochemical reactions that occur in biological cells are known as metabolism. It divides into two types: anabolism and catabolism. Anabolism is the synthesis of complex molecules. Catabolism is the breakdown of complex molecules. Biochemical reactions are several subtypes: neutralization reactions, condensation reactions, oxidation and reduction reactions, group transfer reactions, and isomerization reactions. Furthermore, bioenergetics studies the sources of energy for such biochemical reactions.
What are the Similarities Between Chemical and Biochemical Reactions?
- Both types of reactions involve the change in the composition of the substances.
- These types of reactions are catalyzed by catalysts.
- They transform reactant molecules into products.
- Both types of reactions produce gases as products.
What is the Difference Between Chemical and Biochemical Reactions?
A chemical reaction is a process in which one or more reactants are converted into one or more different products regardless of the surroundings. In contrast, a biochemical reaction is a transformation of one molecule to a different molecule only inside a living cell. So, this is the key difference between chemical and biochemical reactions. Furthermore, a chemical reaction is catalyzed by inorganic catalysts. On the other hand, a biochemical reaction is catalyzed by enzymes.
The following infographic presents the list of differences between chemical and biochemical reactions in tabular form.
Summary – Chemical vs Biochemical Reactions
Chemical and biochemical reactions are both due to changes in the composition of the substances. A chemical reaction is a process in which one or more reactants are converted to one or more different products regardless of the surroundings. On the other hand, a biochemical reaction is a process of transformation of one molecule to a different molecule inside a biological cell. Thus, this is a summary of the difference between chemical and biochemical reactions.
Reference:
1. “Chemical Change vs. Physical Change.” Chemistry LibreTexts, Libretexts.
2. “Biochemical Reaction.” An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Chemical reactions” By Daniele Pugliesi – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Photosynthesis light reaction diagram” By BlueRidgeKitties (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr