Question

Write a note on the factors affecting enzyme activity.

Answer 1

Factors affect enzyme activity:-

• Concentration- As the concentration of the enzyme is increased, the velocity of the reaction proportionately increases. This property is used for determining the activities of serum enzymes during the diagnosis of diseases.
  

• Temperature- The protein nature of the enzymes makes them extremely sensitive to thermal changes. Enzyme activity occurs within a narrow range of temperatures compared to ordinary chemical reactions.
  

• pH - Each enzyme has a pH value that it works at with maximum efficiency called the optimal pH. If the pH is lower or higher than the optimal pH, the enzyme activity decreases until it stops working.
  

• Activators- Some of the enzymes require certain inorganic metallic cations, like $M{g}^{2+},M{n}^{2+},Z{n}^{2+},C{a}^{2+},C{o}^{2+},C{u}^{2+},N{a}^{+},K^{+}$ etc., for their optimum activity. Rarely, anions are also needed for enzyme activity,