The aim of this experiment is to investigate how different masses of copper sulphate affect the rate of decomposition in hydrogen peroxide by mixing pH 2 buffer solution with constant amount of yeast, but different masses of copper sulphate. The real life application that comes out from this experiment relates to the digestive system. When food flows into the stomach, the low 1.5 to 3.5 acidic pH level produced in the stomach could destroy the enzyme, which denaturation occurs, to prevent the enzyme to break down the food. Therefore, it is essential to have inhibitor to strengthen the enzyme for more effective break down on the food. As a result, when chyme flows into the small intestine, it is progressing for the villi to absorb the nutrients,…show more content… In a highly acidic or basic pH level, there is a reduction in enzyme activity from the optimum because the conformation of the enzyme is altered more increasingly. As a result, denaturation occurs because the enzyme is broken down by the acid. Hence, only at optimum pH level of 7, the enzyme activity is the fastest. On the other hand, as the temperature increases, the enzyme activity increases due to more collision between substrate and active site. However, the vibration caused by heat may also the structure of the enzyme, which also causes denaturation.
When the substrate concentration is low, enzyme activity increase because there is more active site available. Whereas, at high substrate concentration, the substrate would not have significant increase or decrease because most active sites are occupied. Therefore, enzyme activity reaches to its maximum and forms a plateau until the process of binding is finished for other substrates.
Inhibitors are substances that reduce the activity of enzymes. Irreversible inhibitors are inhibitors that permanently binds to the enzyme. Copper sulphate is an irreversible inhibitor that tightly attach to the enzyme molecule so that the enzyme loses its catalytic