The Biological Temperature Of Catalase

Introduction: Enzymes are biological catalysts that increase the rate of a reaction without being chemically changed. Enzymes are globular proteins that contain an active site. A specific substrate binds to the active site of the enzyme chemically and structurally (4). Enzymes also increase the rate of a reaction by decreasing the activation energy for that reaction which is the minimum energy required for the reaction to take place (3). Multiple factors affect the activity of an enzyme (1). These factors include the pH and the temperature of the solution (1). Most enzymes have a preferred temperature and pH range (2). The preferred temperature for catalase falls between the ranges of thirty five to fifty degrees Celsius (4). Temperatures that are too high denature the enzyme and halt the enzyme’s activity (2). Catalase denatures starts to denature at fifty five degrees Celsius (2). Reactions in the human body produce hydrogen peroxide as a product (1). Since hydrogen peroxide is poisonous to the human body, catalase catalyzes hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen (2 H2O2 → 2 H2O + O2) (1). According to the collision theory, a reaction can only occur if particles collide with sufficient energy to overcome the activation energy and with correct geometrical orientation (3). Increasing temperature increases the kinetic energy of the particles which means that an increase in temperature will increase the speed of the hydrogen peroxide and the catalase molecules which