2.4.4 Enzyme Activity: Temperature

Question 1

How does temp affect enzyme activity

Answer 1

• Higher temps
• More kinetic energy
• Higher frequency of successful collisions between substrates and active sites
• Substrates collide with more energy
• With correct orientation
• More enzyme-substrate complexes form in a given time

However denaturation can occur, hydrogen and ionic bonds in tertiary structure of enzyme break, so shape of protein and thus active site changes, so no longer complementary to substrate, so enzyme substrate complexes cannot form.

Question 2

What is optimal enzyme temperature in humans?

Answer 2

37 degrees, exceeding 40 is bad

Question 3

What is the temperature coefficient

Answer 3

For most enzyme-catalysed reactions the rate of the reaction doubles for every 10 °C increase in temperature

Temperature coefficient = (rate of reaction at (x + 10) °C) ÷ (rate of reaction at x °C)