Land Use and Deforestation

• The rate of an enzyme-controlled reaction changes with temperature, increasing as the temperature increases due to the increased kinetic energy of all particles.
• The rate of an enzyme-controlled reaction starts to drop rapidly after about 37 degrees, as high temperatures start to break some of the bonds holding the enzymes together and change the shape of the active site.
• The enzyme becomes denatured at around 45 degrees, when the damage is permanent and even if the temperature is lowered back down, the enzyme will not start working again.
• The optimum temperature is the temperature at which the rate of reaction is highest, in this case 37 degrees.
• All enzymes have an optimal temperature, but different enzymes have different optimal temperatures.
• The rate of reaction can be affected by pH, which is a measure of acidity.
• If the pH gets too high or too low, it will lower the rate of reaction, as some of the bonds holding the enzyme together start to break and the active site changes shape.
• The enzyme works best at its optimal pH, which depends on where the enzyme normally works.
• Most enzymes in our body work best at neutral pHs of around seven, but the ones that work in the stomach, for example, have an optimal pH of around two because they need to be able to function in the stomach's acidic environment.