LIFE SCIENCE

OBJECTIVE LIFE SCIENCE

BIOCHEMISTRY

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What happens when enzymes are heated to a high temperature?
A
The enzymes die.
B
The shapes of the enzyme are altered denature
C
The enzymes’ amino acid sequence changes.
D
The enzymes remain the same
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Temperature: Raising temperature generally speeds up a reaction, and lowering temperature slows down a reaction. 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.

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: -Heat can break hydrogen and ionic bonds, which disrupts the shape of the enzyme and will change the shape of the active site. Cold temperatures do not denature enzymes because cold does not cause chemical bonds to break. Enzymes are suited to function best within a certain temperature, pH, and salt concentration range.

Detailed explanation-4: -Denaturation of enzymes causes bonds to be broken, structure to be disrupted and it stops functioning. This happens to enzymes when they are exposed to extreme, unsuitable conditions, for instance, high temperatures or extreme pH levels.

There is 1 question to complete.