The enzyme alpha-amylase is a catalyst to break up starch to from glucose. Without being consumed in the reaction, enzymes are catalysts that speed up the rate of the reaction. They achieve this by combining with a substrate and then separating from it form products. Environment factors that affect enzyme reactions include temperature and pH. The optimal temperature and pH at which the reaction will occur coincides with the point where the rate of reaction is at maximum value. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the ideal temperature, pH, and fastest rate for alpha-amylase. This was performed using I KI as an indicator of the complex and a spectrophotometer to read the measurements at a temperature range from 15-70°C and a pH range of 4.0-6.5. Readings of starch concentration were then taken over a twenty minute interval. The experimental results indicate that the optimal temperature is 50° and the optimal pH is 5.0.
             Enzymes are a class of proteins serving as catalysts, chemical agents that change the rate of reaction without being consumed by the reaction (Campbell, 1996). Enzymes can increase the rate at which efficient reactions occur (Vliet, 1993). The reacting molecule on which an enzyme works is called the substrate. The enzyme and the substrate come together to form an enzyme-substrate complex in enzymatic reactions. The complex breaks down to form the enzyme and products:
             Alpha-amylase (enzyme)+Starch (substrate)®Glucose (product)+Alpha-amylase
             The amount of time it takes the enzyme to change the substrate into a product and the frequency with which the enzyme-substrate complex is formed regulate the rate of a reaction. Factors such as temperature and pH can affect the reacting molecules and the catalytic activity of the enzyme (Vliet, 1993). Therefore enzymes will work most efficiently within a certain range of temperature and pH.
             Warmer temperatures favor the forming of the enzym...