Lab Report For Enzyme Lab

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Steven Bae Franckowiak AP Biology 26 September 2014 Enzyme Lab Introduction: Enzymes are proteins that speed up the rate of a certain chemical reactions. In the lab, the enzyme, catalase was studied. Catalase is essential to many living organisms. It helps convert hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into water and oxygen. Hydrogen peroxide is powerful and not harmless, with any solution having more than eight percent hydrogen peroxide being corrosive to skin (Britannica). In everyday life, it can be used as a bleaching agent and disinfectant. (Wikipedia). Catalase is the tetramer, containing four polypeptide chains, each over 500 amino acids long. Catalase is one of the most effective enzymes, being able to convert millions of hydrogen peroxide molecules…show more content…
The lab investigated in what was the most ideal and effective temperature for catalase. Because catalase is essential to the immune system, it would be interesting to see what the most ideal conditions are for the enzyme, perhaps helping people combat sickness and disease. The hypothesis was that if the enzyme’s temperature was warmer, then the reaction rate would increase. This was based on the prior knowledge that enzymes’ reaction rates generally increase when temperature is increased. When temperature is increased, there is overall more energy within the reactants and there would be an increase of speed in each molecule, allowing enzymes and the substrate to collide in configuration and resulting in a faster reaction rate. Materials and…show more content…
This lab should be performed with goggles, gloves and an apron because it deals with heat and guaiacol is toxic. In the lab, there is a “substrate” test tube, with distilled water, hydrogen peroxide, and guaiacol. The guaiacol, which changed color when exposed to oxygen, is used as an indicator to show that the reaction took place. Three of the same, identical “substrate” test tube are made. There is also an “enzyme” test tube that contained distilled water and catalase. There are three different samples of the “enzyme” test tube: One where the enzyme was left at room temperature, one where the enzyme was chilled in ice at 3.5℃ and one where the enzyme was heated up to 74.2℃. The entire contents of each “enzyme” test tube, varying in temperature, was poured into its corresponding, identical “substrate” tube. While covering the test tubes with a gloved finger, the three test tubes are inverted twice to mix. Immediately, the reaction is timed and is observed for 5 minutes. Every minute the color change in the reaction was recorded using a provided color

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