Skill 21.4 Recognizing factors that affect enzyme kinetics

Skill 21.4 Recognizing factors that affect enzyme kinetics 

Enzymes are proteins that catalyze, or accelerate, certain reactions. Enzyme kinetics refers to the rate at which enzyme-catalyzed reactions take place. As with any chemical reaction, the reaction rate is determined by a number of different factors. 

Environmental conditions, such as pH, temperature and pressure, contribute to the rate at which enzyme-catalyzed reactions take place. In the case of pH, there is typically a value for which the reaction rate reaches a maximum this is the pH optimum, and it generally varies, depending on the specific enzyme. 

Temperature also has a variable effect. Increasing temperature is an indication of increasing molecular motion, and. consequently, as the temperature increases, the rate of reaction also increases. This trend is not without limits, however, as sufficiently high temperatures can cause an enzyme to be denatured and to no longer function. Enzymes can also be denatured by extreme pH levels. 

Depending on the particular conditions and the particular enzyme, denaturing may or may not be reversible through a change in the environmental conditions. 

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