Factors Affecting Enzyme Activity

These flashcards cover crucial vocabulary terms related to enzyme activity and the factors influencing it.

Enzyme Activity

The performance of an enzyme, measured by its reaction rate.

Reaction Rate

The speed at which a substrate is converted to product in a chemical reaction.

Enzyme Concentration

The amount of enzyme present in a reaction, which can affect the performance by providing more active sites for substrate binding.

Saturation Curve

A graph that illustrates the relationship between substrate concentration and reaction rate, indicating a point where increasing substrate does not increase rate.

Optimum Temperature

The temperature at which an enzyme performs its best, usually corresponding to the temperature of the enzyme's local environment.

Denaturation

The process by which an enzyme loses its shape and functionality due to excessive heat or unfavorable conditions.

Optimum pH

The pH level at which an enzyme works most efficiently, often aligning with the local environment's pH.

Pepsin

An enzyme that digests protein in the stomach, with an optimum pH of 1.5.

Salivary Amylase

An enzyme that digests starch in saliva, functioning best at a pH of 6.8.

Pancreatic Lipase

An enzyme that digests triglycerides in the intestine, with an optimum pH of 8.0.