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A student investigated the activity of a human enzyme at different temperatures - Edexcel - GCSE Biology: Combined Science - Question 4 - 2020 - Paper 1
Question 4
A student investigated the activity of a human enzyme at different temperatures. The student measured the mass of product formed after 10 minutes at different temper... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A student investigated the activity of a human enzyme at different temperatures - Edexcel - GCSE Biology: Combined Science - Question 4 - 2020 - Paper 1
Step 1
Describe the trends shown in Figure 5.
Answer
The mass of product formed increases with temperature up to 40°C, reaching a maximum of 300 mg at this temperature. Beyond 40°C, the mass of product begins to decrease. This indicates that enzymatic activity improves with increasing temperature until it reaches an optimal point, after which it declines as the temperature continues to rise.
Step 2
Explain the results obtained for temperatures from 40°C to 60°C.
Answer
At 40°C, the enzyme is at its optimum temperature, resulting in maximum product formation. As temperatures rise to 60°C, the product mass begins to decrease as the enzyme becomes less active. This is due to denaturation of the enzyme at higher temperatures, particularly noticeable at around 60°C, where the active site of the enzyme changes shape, inhibiting substrate binding and reducing the number of enzyme-substrate complexes formed.