Introduction: There are a number of environmental parameters that can affect enzyme activity and its process. Enzymes are substances made in by an organism that serves as a catalyst and quickens the biochemical reaction to occur. When a catalyst is brought into the picture, it speeds up the time needed for said reaction to occur, making the enzyme a “helper” for reactions. Enzymes and substrates are closely related in the sense that both join together to help bring the end result of the reaction much faster. An environmental parameter, dealing with enzymes, is a particular circumstance that has varying effects on enzyme activity. The environmental parameter of pH has a varying effect on enzyme activity depending on acidic, neutral, and basic …show more content…
The environmental parameter of salt concentrations somewhat relates to that of pH in the sense that there is a spectrum where salt concentrations are optimal for enzyme activity and extreme levels of salt concentrations can denature the protein. The environmental parameter of inhibitors can change the catalytic action of an enzyme which significantly slow down the process or sometimes even completely stop catalysis. Inhibitors come in three different types: competitive, non-competitive, and substrate inhibitors. Competitive inhibitors are those that bind with an enzyme at the active site and slow down the process of an enzyme catalysis. The non-competitive, or allosteric, inhibitors are those that bind to an enzyme in an area other than the active site which act to change the shape of the enzyme’s active site to reject the substrate that originally fitted the enzyme prior to altering the shape. The …show more content…
Through the oxidation of those phenols, a chemical reaction that causes a loss in electrons is present which usually results in a red or brown color. Due to the varying levels of reaction possibilities that catechol can undergo when in contact with DNA makes it toxic to humans (Eggen RI, Schweigert, Zehnder AJ). In order to measure enzyme activity through the different environmental parameters, the experiment will need utilization of a spectrophotometer to record the change in absorbance and compare how different temperatures either support or inhibit enzymes. In this, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was used to act as a chelator which aids in the removal of ions, this provided favorable environments for enzymes to speed up the reaction process. On the other hand, phenylthiourea (PTU) was used as an inhibitor that only worked if catechol oxidase had copper as a