ENZYMES -pH

=pH and Enzyme Activity= [image:http://i.imgur.com/sI63T4R.png?1] Enzymes are a type of protein. Proteins are made out of a chain of amino acids that fold up into a very specific shape. Weak interactions between amino acids on different parts of the chain are what give the protein / enzyme its shape. Changes in pH can disrupt the weak interactions that hold proteins together (The H^+^ and OH^-^ ions can interfere with intermolecular bonds that hold the enzyme together. Changes in pH can cause an enzyme to denature (lose their precise shape) and the substrate won't fit into the active site. Once an enzyme has denatured, it will not function again. The pH at which enzyme activity is highest is known as the optimum pH. Every enzyme will have its own optimum pH. For instance pepsin, a digestive enzyme in the stomach, has an optimum pH of around 2. Other digestive enzymes such as amylase in saliva function best at a pH around 7.