Summary:
- Enzymes work by lowering the activation energy of chemical reactions.
- Activation energy is the energy needed to start a chemical reaction.
- Enzymes bring reactants together so they don’t have to expend energy moving about until they collide at random.
- The activities of enzymes depend on the temperature, ionic conditions, and the pH of the surroundings.Digestive enzymes secreted in the acidic environment of the stomach help break down proteins into smaller molecules.
- The main digestive enzyme in the stomach is pepsin, which works best at a pH of about 1.5.