I predicted that the amylase would break down the starch most effectively at 40oC, and with decreasing

efficiency towards 0oC, at which the amylase would be unable to break down the starch at all. This is because body temperature is around 40oC, and enzymes are designed to work at this optimal temperature. At temperatures over 40oC, I also predicted that the amylase would begin to denature to an extent that, at temperatures much over 50oC, it would be totally ineffective. Enzymes must work in the mild conditions of a cell in the body, at approximately 40oC and at a pH between 6.5 and 7.5. Chemicals changed by enzyme-catalysed reactions are called the substrates of that enzyme, and they fit into the active site of the enzyme, where the reaction takes place, in a lock-and-key mechanism. The products of the reaction then leaves the active site, freeing it up for more similar reactions to take place. Amylase is an enzyme found in various places in the body including in the saliva and in the pancreas. It acts on starch, a polysaccharide, breaking it down into maltose, a disaccharide. Kinetic theory is the idea that, when a substance is heated, its molecules, having been supplied with energy, move around faster. In this experiment, as the temperature increases, the enzyme and starch molecules collide more frequent and with more energy which will cause them to react more efficiently. At low temperatures, the molecules will not collide very frequently and the starch will not be broken down as quickly.