FACTORS AFFECTING
ENZYME
Abstract
Enzyme activity affected by a variety of
factors, such as temperature, pH, and
concentration.
Substrate concentration: Increasing
substrate concentration also increases the
rate of reaction to a certain point, Effect of
Water and effect of Inhibitors and
activator.
Introduction
Enzymes are catalysts or chemical agents that speed
up chemical reactions without being consumed. Most
enzymes are proteins that function to reduce energy
of activation in chemical reactions. They work on
reactants called substrate; the enzyme attaches to
the substrate and then the enzyme converts the
substrate into a product, while the enzyme remains
unaffected. Enzyme activity affected by several
factors that will be discussed below.
Concentration Effect
a. Substrate concentration
Increasing substrate concentration
also increases the rate of reaction
to a certain point. Once all of the
enzymes have bound, any
substrate increase will have no
effect on the rate of reaction, as
the available enzymes will be
saturated and working at their
maximum rate.
Figure 1.3. there is no use of excess
substrate once it all bind with the
enzyme
Concentration Effect
b. Enzyme concentration
Increasing enzyme concentration will
elevate the chemical reaction rate, as long
as there is substrate available for binding.
Once all of the substrate is bound, the
reaction will no longer speed up, because
there will be nothing for additional
enzymes to bind to.
Concentration Effect
Figure 3.2 the difference between the enzyme and
substrate concentration upon the chemical reaction rate.
The effect of substrate concentration on enzyme activity
A simple chemical reaction with a single substrate shows a linear
relationship between the rate of formation of product and the
concentration of substrate, as shown below:
The effect of substrate concentration on enzyme activity
For an enzyme-catalysed reaction, there is usually a hyperbolic
relationship between the rate of reaction and the concentration of
substrate, as shown below:
Temperature Effect
As the temperature increases the rate of chemical
reaction will increase, but just up
to a certain point, then it will sharply drop. The
optimal temperature it occurs when the rate of the
reaction is at its highest, each enzyme has a certain
temperature at which it is more active, ranges
between 37 to 40C°. The protein nature of the
enzymes makes them extremely sensitive; so after
the optimal temperature the rate starts to drop that
is because the protein starts to denature so it loses
its shape and don’t function well.
Temperature Effect
Each enzyme has an optimum temperature at which it
works best. A higher temperature generally results in
an increase in enzyme activity. As the temperature
increases, molecular motion increases resulting in
more molecular collisions. If, however, the
temperature rises above a certain point, the heat will
denature the enzyme, causing it to lose its three-
dimensional functional shape by denaturing its
hydrogen bonds. Cold temperature, on the other
hand, slows down enzyme activity by decreasing
molecular motion.
Temperature Effect
The enzyme activity gradually lowers as the temperature
rises more than the optimal temperature until it reaches a
certain temperature at which the enzyme activity stops
completely due to the change of its natural composition.
On the other hand, if the temperature lowers below the
optimal temperature, the enzyme activity lowers until the
enzyme reaches a minimum temperature at which the
enzyme activity is the least. The enzyme activity stops
completely at 0C°, but if the temperature rises again, and
then the enzyme reactivate once more.
Temperature Effect
PH Effect
➢Enzymes are protein substances that contain acidic
carboxylic groups (COOH–) and basic amino groups (NH2).
So, the enzymes are affected by changing the pH value.
➢Each enzyme has a pH value that it works at with
maximum efficiency called the optimal pH. If the pH is
lower or higher than the optimal pH, the enzyme activity
decreases until it stops working. For example, pepsin
works at a low pH, i.e., it is highly acidic, while amylase
works at a high pH, i.e., it is basic. Most enzymes work at
neutral pH 7.4
PH Effect
Each enzyme has an optimal pH that
helps maintain its three-dimensional
shape. Changes in pH may denature
enzymes by altering the enzyme's
charge. This alters the ionic bonds of
the enzyme that contribute to its
functional shape.
PH Effect
