Enzymes

• How temperature and pH affect the functioning of enzymes and the rate of enzyme controlled reactions

  1. Temperature increases

  2. Rate of reaction increases

  3. Temperature reaches 37 degrees

  4. Rate of reaction starts to drop rapidly

  5. Enzyme becomes denatured at around 45 degrees

  6. Optimal temperature is 37 degrees
• Denatured


  Enzyme's shape changes so it can no longer bind to the substrate and catalyze the reaction
• Optimal temperature


  Temperature at which the rate of reaction is highest
• How pH affects enzymes


  1. pH gets too high or too low

  2. Bonds holding the enzyme together start to break

  3. Active site changes shape

  4. Substrate can no longer fit

  5. Enzyme becomes denatured
• Optimal pH


  pH at which the enzyme works best
• Most enzymes in our body work best at neutral pHs of around 7
• Enzymes that work in the stomach have an optimal pH of around 2 because they need to function in the stomach's acidic environment