Question

How does ph affect enzyme activity

Answer 1

Hint: Enzymes are folded proteins that help the reaction to occur efficiently by reducing the activation energy of the reaction by attaching to the substrate.

Complete answer:
The efficiency with which an enzyme works depends on many factors like ph, Temperature, the concentration of the substrate, and the concentration of the enzyme itself.

Now each enzyme has a particular range of ph known as optimum ph range where the enzyme functions most efficiently but when this ph range is not conserved the enzyme cannot maintain its efficiency and becomes slow in showing the enzyme action. Each enzyme has a unique active site by which it attaches to the substrate but when the enzyme is not in the optimal ph range, then some hydrogen bonds break inside the active site of the enzyme that leads to a change in the entire structure of the enzyme and it cannot fit easily into the substrate. This is also known as denaturation of the enzyme.

Note: Enzymes are required for the reaction to occur at a faster rate but they are not consumed in the reaction along with the reactant, the enzyme binds to the substrate that is the reactant through its active site and then it lowers the activation energy of the reaction to a greater extent after which the enzyme gets released from the reaction without any change in its structure and shape and then the same enzyme can be used in other reactions.