Catalysts are added to a reaction to decrease the activation energy. This will allow for reactants to easily overcome the energy barrier (activation energy) and carry out the reaction; therefore, the reaction will happen quicker and the rate of reaction will increase. Recall that the rate constant quantifies the rate of a reaction. Since rate of reaction and rate constant are directly proportional, addition of catalyst will lower the activation energy, increase the rate of reaction, and, subsequently, increase the rate constant.

It’s important to remember that catalysts only alter the rate of a reaction (speeds up the reaction). They have no effect on thermodynamics/equilibrium (the amount of products produced).

The speed of a reaction is increased when the amount of reactants reaching the activation energy (energy barrier) is increased. This can be done via two ways: increasing temperature or adding a catalyst. Increasing temperature will add kinetic energy to the reactant and increase the amount of reactants reaching the energy barrier. Adding a catalyst will decrease the activation energy and, subsequently, increase the amount of reactants reaching the energy barrier.

Since the temperature is kept relatively constant in the human body (due to homeostasis), the most common way human body increases the speed of a reaction is by using catalysts. Biological catalysts are called enzymes and they are usually named with the suffix -ase. The only molecule that is an enzyme in this question is DNAase, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of phosphodiester bonds in the backbone of DNA.

ATP provides energy for active reactions but it cannot speed up the reaction. Histones are proteins found in nucleus that are involved in DNA packaging. They are irrelevant to this question.

Catalysts are chemicals that function to speed up a reaction. They do not, however, change the amount of products produced (the equilibrium of the reaction). They just make it so that the equilibrium is reached at a faster rate. The main way catalysts decrease reaction rate is by lowering the activation energy. This is the energy peak required to create transition states (molecules that are in between reactants and products). Once past this peak, the transition states convert into the products. Catalysts lower this peak so that it is easier to create transition states.

As mentioned, equilibrium constant will not change because catalysts do not alter the equilibrium of the reaction. Enthalpy (change in heat) of the reaction will also remain constant because it is not altered by the catalyst.

An adiabatic reaction is characterized as a reaction that neither gains nor loses net heat. This means that the process of converting the reactants to products does not alter the heat in the system (reaction) or the surroundings; therefore, both the heat inside and outside the system will be constant.

Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up many reactions essential for the human body. Their chemistry is the same as catalysts. They speed up reactions by lowering the activation energy of reactions. This allows reactions to easily overcome the energy barrier and create the necessary products from reactants.