AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -When exposed to high temperatures and extreme pHs, the protein structure of an enzyme changes, which means the active site also changes shape irreversibly. This is called denaturing and it means that the active site is no longer a complementary shape to the substrate molecule.

Detailed explanation-2: -Because enzymes have evolved to function within optimal temperature and pH ranges, once temperature increases and pH changes beyond a certain point, the enzyme becomes denatured. A denatured enzyme refers to an enzyme that has lost its normal three-dimensional, or tertiary, structure.

Detailed explanation-3: -As an enzyme is heated beyond its optimum temperature, the hydrogen bonds holding the protein together vibrate and, with increasing temperature, will break. When an enzyme is in a non-optimum pH, the differing proportion of hydrogen ions (which cause changing pH)) will affect those bonds which contain a charge.

Detailed explanation-4: -Enzyme denaturation happens when the structure of a protein and its functional group undergo conformational changes, resulting in inactivity. Denatured proteins have a looser, more random structure, and the majority of them are insoluble.

Detailed explanation-5: -Changes in pH can cause an enzyme to denature (lose their precise shape) and the substrate won’t fit into the active site. Once an enzyme has denatured, it will not function again. The pH at which enzyme activity is highest is known as the optimum pH. Every enzyme will have its own optimum pH.