Factors affecting enzyme activity

• How does low temperature affect enzyme activity?

  It reduces kinetic energy, leading to fewer successful collisions between enzyme and substrate
• What are enzymes primarily made of?

  Proteins
• What happens to enzymes when the temperature exceeds the optimum level?

  The enzyme denatures due to excessive kinetic energy, changing the shape of the active site
• What is the effect of pH on enzyme activity?

  Extreme pH levels can denature enzymes
• Why do high or low pH levels lead to enzyme denaturation?

  They interfere with the charges in the amino acids within the active sites
• What is the result of enzyme denaturation on enzyme-substrate complexes?

  There are fewer enzyme-substrate complexes formed
• What happens to the bonds holding amino acids together when an enzyme denatures?

  They break, causing the active site to change shape
• Do different enzymes have the same optimal pH?

  No, different enzymes have different optimal pH levels
• What is the relationship between substrate concentration and the rate of reaction?

  At low substrate concentrations, the rate of reaction is low
• What happens when substrate concentration increases until a certain point?

  The rate of reaction shows a positive correlation until it plateaus
• What is the limiting factor at low substrate concentrations?

  Substrate concentration is the limiting factor
• What happens to the rate of reaction when substrate concentration is increased beyond a certain point?

  The rate of reaction remains constant due to enzyme concentration becoming the limiting factor
• Why does the reaction slow down at low substrate concentrations?

  There are fewer substrate molecules available to collide with the enzyme
• What occurs at low enzyme concentrations when enzyme concentration is increased?

  The rate of reaction increases until the enzyme active sites become saturated
• What happens when there are no more active sites available in an enzyme reaction?

  The enzyme cannot work any faster
• What happens to the graph of reaction rate as enzyme concentration increases?

  The graph begins to plateau when there are more enzymes than substrates
• What is the optimum temperature for enzymes?

  The temperature at which enzymes function best
• What is the saturation point in enzyme activity?

  It is when all active sites are occupied by substrate
• What is a limiting factor in enzyme kinetics?

  A factor that restricts the rate of reaction