03 Enzymes#21 Enzymes and reactionsMany chemical reactions can be speeded up by substances calledcatalysts.Within living organisms, these reactions (metabolic reactions) are controlled by catalysts calledenzymes.Enzyme molecules areproteins.Enzymes and reactionsMost enzyme names end in –ase, e.g. lipase, protease.
Temperature, pH and enzymesThe activity of enzymes is affected by temperature and pH.Effect of temperature on enzymesTheoptimum(best) temperature for enzyme-controlled reactions is 370C (body temperature).As the temperature increases, the rate of reaction increases. But veryhightemperaturesdenatureenzymes.The graph shows the typical change in an enzyme's activity with increasing temperature.The enzyme activity gradually increases with temperature up to around 37ºC, or body temperature. Then, as thetemperaturecontinues torise, the rate of reaction falls rapidly as heat energydenaturesthe enzyme. Most enzymes are denatured above 500C.Effect of pH on enzymesThe pH of a solution is how acidic or alkaline it is.Different enzymes work best at different pH values.The optimumpH for an enzyme depends on where it normally works.It is around neutral (pH= 7) for most enzymes but there are some exceptions.