How can enzymes active site become denatured?

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asked Apr 7, 2020 83.3k views

1 Answer

Vignesh Krishnan · Answer 1 · 2020-04-11T05:15:11+0000

Enzymes can become denatured when subject to very high temperatures and pH

Enzymes are biochemical catalysts that speed up chemical reactions.
Some of the characteristics of enzymes are that they are substrate-specific and work at optimum pH and temperature.
Enzymes will thus work best at the optimum pH and temperature to yield maximum products.
However, when subjected to extreme temperature and pH, they are denatured such that the configuration of active sites changes making it difficult for the substrate to fit in the active sites.