BIOMOLECULES AND ENZYMES

Detailed explanation-1: -However, extreme high temperatures can cause an enzyme to lose its shape (denature) and stop working. pH: Each enzyme has an optimum pH range. Changing the pH outside of this range will slow enzyme activity. Extreme pH values can cause enzymes to denature.

Detailed explanation-2: -Because enzymes are proteins, they are denatured by heat. Therefore, at higher temperatures (over about 55°C in the graph below) there is a rapid loss of activity as the protein suffers irreversible denaturation.

Detailed explanation-3: -Denaturation is caused by the breaking of the bonds that hold the enzyme together in its three-dimensional shape. Heat can break hydrogen and ionic bonds, which disrupts the shape of the enzyme and will change the shape of the active site.

Detailed explanation-4: -Proteins denature at high temperatures. This means that the protein unfolds, and its stable tertiary structure or conformation is lost. As the activity of an enzyme is dependent upon an intact tertiary structure of the protein, the enzyme activity decreases.

Detailed explanation-5: -Description. As the temperature is increased enzyme activity increases to a maximum value at the optimum temperature (around 37 oC for most human enzymes). As the temperature is increased above the optimum temperature enzyme activity decreases.