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CH 5 - Enzymes

Enzymes are biological catalysts that increase the rate of chemical reactions in organisms and are specific to their substrates due to their unique active sites. Factors such as temperature and pH significantly influence enzyme activity, with each enzyme having an optimum temperature and pH for peak performance; deviations can lead to denaturation and loss of function. For example, pepsin functions best at a pH of 2 in the stomach, while amylase operates optimally at a neutral pH of 7 in saliva.

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13 views3 pages

CH 5 - Enzymes

Enzymes are biological catalysts that increase the rate of chemical reactions in organisms and are specific to their substrates due to their unique active sites. Factors such as temperature and pH significantly influence enzyme activity, with each enzyme having an optimum temperature and pH for peak performance; deviations can lead to denaturation and loss of function. For example, pepsin functions best at a pH of 2 in the stomach, while amylase operates optimally at a neutral pH of 7 in saliva.

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idk895531
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Enzymes

A catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of chemical reaction and is not
changed by the reaction itself.

An enzyme is a biological catalyst that catalyzes many important reactions inside


an organism (such as respiration) and therefore necessary to sustain life.

How enzymes work is more easily shown through a diagram.

Firstly, a substrate is a substance that an enzyme acts on. It is important to


understand that enzymes are very specific, and the reason for their specificity lies
in their active sites – a region of an enzyme that binds to a particular substrate. The
shape of the active site of an enzyme is complementary to only one specific
substrate.

As demonstrated in the diagram, the green substrate has a shape that pairs
impeccably with the shape enzyme’s active site. As the enzyme binds with the
substrate, an enzyme-substrate complex is formed. The reaction then occurs on the
enzyme and the enzyme-product complex is formed. The products eventually leave
the enzyme.

Enzyme activity VS Temperature & pH


There are certain factors that can impact enzyme activity. The two of which CIE
wants you to know is temperature and pH. But before getting into the details, you
need to know that all enzymes have an optimum temperature and an optimum pH.
These are certain temperatures or pH in which a particular enzyme work best in,
and it can vary between different enzymes.

For any given enzyme, if the conditions stray too far from the optimum, then
denaturation can occur. This is when extreme non-ideal conditions (i.e. high
temperatures or very low/high pH) causes chemical bonds in the enzymes to break
apart. This results in the change in shape of the enzyme’s active site. Remember,
the active site has a very special shape and it fits only one specific type (and shape)
of substrate. An alteration in active site will therefore cause the enzyme to lose
function.

Temperature and enzyme activity

Low temperatures reduce the rate of chemical reactions in general. This is because
molecules need to collide with one another and have enough energy for a reaction
to occur. In low temperatures, molecules are traveling at lower speeds (less energy)
and therefore the rate of successful collisions are lower. Moreover, even when
collisions do occur, the molecules may have insufficient kinetic energies to begin
with, and therefore the reaction may not occur. Enzyme activity is therefore low in
low temperatures. It is important to note however, that low temperatures do not
denature enzymes.

Higher temperatures generally increase the rate of chemical reactions. Molecules


are faster and have more kinetic energy. This means that rate of successful
molecular collisions are higher,and most molecules will have sufficient energy
required for the reaction. However, temperatures that are far beyond the optimum
temperature of the enzymes can start to denature it, and reduce enzyme activity as
a result. Most enzymes have an optimum temperature of approximately 37 degrees
in the human body, and start getting denatured at above 50 degrees.

pH and enzyme activity

The optimum pH of an enzyme can vary. Pepsin is an enzyme found in the


stomach’s acidic conditions and therefore made to work best in a pH of
approximately 2. Amylase on the other hand, is found in saliva (more neutral
conditions) and therefore has an optimum pH of 7. Very high or very low pH’s
can denature these enzymes if it deviates too much from their optimum.

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