Enzyme Activity Lab
Pick a real enzyme, then change the temperature and pH to see how its rate of reaction responds.
Enzyme: Salivary amylase (animal)Reaction: Starch → maltose
Optimum for Salivary amylase: 37°C (body temperature for human enzymes)
Optimum for Salivary amylase: pH 7
Rate of reaction: Salivary amylase
100%
Optimum conditions: maximum activity
Amylase starts digesting starch in your mouth, but stops working once food hits the acidic stomach.
Below the optimum temperature, molecules move slowly and collide less often. Above it, bonds in the active site break and the enzyme denatures, so the substrate no longer fits. The same happens when the pH moves too far from the enzyme's optimum.