ENZYMES

What are enzymes?

Types of reactions

a) Anabolic reaction
these are reactions that involve the synthesis of macro molecules from micro molecules e.g.
starch is made by joining up glucose molecules.

b) Catabolic reaction
these are biochemical reactions which involve the breakdown of macromolecules into
micromolecules. e.g. digestion of starch into glucose.

Types of Enzymes
a) intra-cellular enzymes
They catalyze reactions in the cytoplasm of the cells that formed them.

b) Extra-cellular enzymes
They catalyze chemical reactions outside the cells that have formed them. E.g. digestive
enzymes.

EXAMPLES OF ENZYMES

1. Salivary amylase & Pancreatic amylase

PROPERTIES OF ENZYMES
➢ All enzymes are protein in nature
➢ They are reaction specific/substrate specific
e.g amylase specifically catalize a reaction in which starch is converted into maltose
➢ They are not used up at the end of the reaction
➢ The are affected by temperature
➢ They are affected by pH

Most enzymes’ names end with the suffix “–ase” e.g. amylase, sucrase, lactase, maltase,
lipase, carbohydrase, catalase

How Enzymes Work

-Substances which are acted upon by enzymes are called SUBSTRATES and they have specific
shapes.
- Enzymes catalyze reactions by binding at their active site.
- The shape of the active site corresponds to the shape the molecules of the substrate
- The substrate molecule will only fit perfectly to a specific enzyme if their shape corresponds like
a LOCK and KEY
- The reaction is then catalyzed when the Enzyme-substrate complex is formed
- The product is then released and the enzyme is free to catalyse the next reaction
The LOCK and KEY model (hypothesis) explains enzyme action because;
- Only the correct enzyme-substrate combination can work.
- Higher temperatures make the enzyme and substrate molecules to move more quickly,
this also means the substrate molecules enter the active site of the enzyme and the
product molecules leave the active site quickly
-

Enzyme activity is influenced by several factors that affect the rate at which enzymes
catalyze reactions. These factors include:

1. Temperature
o Enzymes have an optimal temperature at which they function best.
o Too low temperatures slow down molecular movement, reducing enzyme
activity.
o Too high temperatures can denature enzymes, altering their structure and
active site
2. pH Level
o Each enzyme has an optimal pH at which it functions best.
o Extreme pH levels can denature enzymes by altering their shape and
active site.
3. Substrate Concentration
o Increasing substrate concentration increases enzyme activity up to a
saturation point.
o Beyond this point, all active sites of enzymes are occupied, and further
increase in substrate concentration does not increase reaction rate.
4. Enzyme Concentration
o Higher enzyme concentration increases reaction rate, provided that
substrate is available.
o If the substrate is limited, increasing enzyme concentration will not further
increase the reaction rate.
EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON ENZYME ACTIVITY

- Very low temperatures inactivate enzymes which results in very low rates of chemical reactions.
The substrate and enzyme molecules have less kinetic energy resulting in the frequency of
collisions being low.

- An increase in temperature speeds up the activity of an enzyme/enzyme become active

- Enzymes work best at temperatures called the optimum temperature, at this temperature the
rate of reaction is very high

- Temperatures beyond the optimum temperature denature enzymes and the rate of reaction
decrease

Temperatures beyond the optimum temperature leads to a change in the protein structure/ the 3
dimentional structure of the enzyme, this result in reactions proceeding very slowly to maintain
life. Most organisms are killed by very high temperatures due to extremely low chemical reactions
which cannot maintain life processes.
ACTIVITY; Action of Enzyme amylase on starch
Aim; To determine how different temperatures affect the rate of enzyme activity involving starch
& amylase.
Background; Amylase breaks down starch into maltose and glucose
- Iodine solution (reddish brown in colour) turns blue-black in starch
- It would turn back to reddish brown after starch has been digested.
Apparatus; Amylase, starch solution, test tubes, stop watches
Procedure;
- place equal amounts of amylase in 3 test tubes labelled A,B,C
- place equal volumes of starch in 3 test tubes labelled 1,2,3
- place the test tubes in different water baths as follows;
Test tubes A & 1 in water at 0
Test tubes B & 2 in water at 37
Test tubes C & 3 in water at 50
- add 3 drops of iodine solution to test tubes containing starch
- after 10 minutes pour the starch + iodine sol into the test tubes containing the enzymes amylase
and simultaneously switch on the timer, (stop watch)
- Record the time taken for the blue-black colour to change to reddish brown.

➢ In which test tube was starch digested?

???Explain why the enzyme and substrate are not mixed immediately in the experiment above.
EFFECT OF pH ON ENZYME ACTIVITY

Different enzymes are affected differently by different pH conditions. A rise or fall in pH condition
affects the activity of enzymes. Some enzymes work best under acidic conditions whereas others
prefer neutral or alkaline conditions. The pH at which an enzyme would catalyse a reaction most
effectively is called its OPTIMUM pH.
e.g. - Amylase works best at pH 7-8
- Pepsin works best at pH 2
ACTIVIY; Effect of pH on action of pepsin
Aim; To determine the effect of pH on the activity of the enzyme pepsin
Background; Pepsin is a digestive enzyme that breaks down protein into peptides. Copper sulphate &
sodium hydroxide solutions are used to test for the presence of proteins in a food sample, and positive
results gives a purple colour. A light blue colour shows the absence of proteins.
Apparatus; Pepsin, Egg albumen, Hydrochloric acid, Copper sulphate, test tubes, Sodium hydroxide,
pH indicator
Procedure;
- prepare a solution of egg albumen and place equal volumes in 2 test tubes labelled A, B
- Add 5 drops of copper sulphate and sodium hydroxide to both test tubes to verify the presence of
proteins
- Add 5 drops of hydrochloric acid test tube “A” and 5 drops of sodium hydroxide to test tube “B”
- Use a pH indicator to check the pH of the two solutions
- Add equal amounts of enzyme pepsin to each test tube and observe any colour changes
- Record the results as shown

TEST TUBE pH ORIGINAL COLOUR FINAL COLOUR

CONCLUSION;
➢ In which test tube was protein present at the end of the experiment? Give reasons to your
choice
Ans;

➢ In test tube were proteins absent at the end of the experiment? Give reasons.

Ans;

➢ In which test tube was there enzyme activity?

Ans;