Nicollette wants to determine the effect of pH on the enzyme amylase. Amylase is

ID: 173262 • Letter: N

Question

Nicollette wants to determine the effect of pH on the enzyme amylase. Amylase is an

enzyme responsible for the breakdown of starch into maltose. All organisms use

amylase to digest starch. Nicolette decides to use barley seeds in her experiment

because they are small, cheap, and produce amylase when they begin to sprout. She

puts 6 sprouting seeds in 6 different pH solutions and measures the concentration of

maltose in each solution after 20 minutes. The results of her experiment are highlighted

in the table below. Explain the trends in her results and what conclusions about the

enzyme can be drawn from her data.

pH 3 4 5 6 7 8 maltose concentration M 0 .1 .7 .5 .3 .01

From the given table we can see that the enzymatic activity of amylase is very less at high acidic pH or at low basic pH.

It optimal activity is maximum at pH 5 and reduce as we move towards acidic or basic pH

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