The bacterium responsible for gastric ulcers, Helicobacter pylori, survives the acidic pH of the stomach surprisingly well. It d
oes so in part by synthesizing and excreting large amounts of the enzyme urease, which hydrolyzes urea to bicarbonate and ammonia. Explain how these reaction products lead to a less acidic environment for H. pylori.
H. pylori uses the enzyme urease to breakdown urea into ammonia (NH3) & carbon dioxide (CO2), where NH3 can act as a buffer to the acidic solution in the stomach.
Explanation:
<em>H. pylori</em> is a bacteria that has the enzyme urease to breakdown urea into ammonia (NH3) & carbon dioxide (CO2). The compound of interest here would be ammonia, or NH3. NH3 is a base, although relatively weak to other stronger bases, which means it has a pH above 7. In the stomach, the pH is acidic, or below 7. By synthesizing ammonia, <em>H. pylori </em>is able to buffer the stomach solution in a manner so that it isn't entirely acidic, but more toward the basic side, thereby allowing for its survival.
