How Does Temperature Affect The Rate Of An Enzyme Reaction

Enzymes are biological molecules (typically proteins) that significantly speed up the rate of virtually all of the chemical reactions that take place within cells. They are vital for life and serve a wide range of important functions in the body, such as aiding in digestion and metabolism. Some enzymes help break large molecules into smaller pieces that are more easily absorbed by the body. Other enzymes help bind two molecules together to produce a new molecule. Enzymes are highly selective catalysts, meaning that each enzyme only speeds up a specific reaction.
The molecules that an enzyme works with are called substrates. The substrates bind to a region on the enzyme called the active site. There are two theories explaining the enzyme-substrate interaction. The chemical reactions result in a new product or molecule …show more content…
They speed up as the temperature rises until an optimum temperature is reached. After this point the reaction will slow down and eventually stop. Most enzymes work fastest in neutral conditions. Making the solution more acidic or alkaline will slow the reaction down. At extremes of pH the reaction will stop altogether. As the temperature increases, more of the reacting molecules have enough kinetic energy to undergo the reaction. Since enzymes are catalysts for chemical reactions, enzyme reactions also tend to go faster with increase temperature. However, if the temperature of an enzyme-catalysed reaction is raised still further, a temperature optimum is reached; above this value the kinetic energy of the enzyme and water molecules is so great that the conformation of the enzyme molecules is disrupted. The positive effect of speeding up the reaction is now more than offset by the negative effect of changing the conformation of more and more enzyme molecules. Many proteins are denatured by temperatures around 40-50 degrees C, but some are still active at 70-80 degrees C, and a few even withstand