enzemes potato hydrogen peroxide :: essays research papers

How the concentration of enzymes controls the breakdown of Hydrogen Peroxide? Aim- We are investigating the effect of changing the concentration of the enzyme catalase has on the rate of breaking down of Hydrogen Peroxide. Background Info- This experiment will involve some soft potato. Potato has a very high enzyme count, that ¡Ã‚ ¦s why we use it in this experiment. This enzyme is called catalase. It is used in our body to break down food and other things that we might digest. A catalase speeds up the rate of reactions. The enzymes are all protean molecules. We will also use Hydrogen Peroxide and washing up liquid. The catalase breaks down the Hydrogen Peroxide into oxygen and water. The more vigorous the reaction the more froth that it creates. The reaction in the experiment: Hydrogen peroxide „ ³ oxygen + water 2H2O2 „ ³ O2 + H2O The enzyme can be used around the body to help chemical reactions, it speeds them up! The enzyme breaks up larger molecules into smaller pieces. This is how the enzymes work below I have described some of the things that can affect how well it works. Fair test/ Factors- Temp- This can affect the movement of the particles. The higher the temp the faster the particles will move and the more collisions. If the temp of the Hydrogen Peroxide is too low the experiment will fail! High Temp- It gives them more energy so they move faster this means that they are likely to connect the substrate and the active site. The high temp also gives the particles kinetic energy. This means that the Hydrogen Peroxide will be broken down quicker. Best Temp- This is the hottest the enzyme can be heated without the active site changing (denaturing). If the active site changes then the reaction will no longer work. From our preliminary test we found out that the optimum temp is 25oc this is around room temp. PH- All enzymes have an optimum PH, the wrong PH can cause denaturing. The Ph can ¡Ã‚ ¦t be too acid or alkaline so keep it as near to 7 as possible. If the enzyme denatures then it is no use for breaking down the Hydrogen Peroxide. Concentration of H2O2- The higher the concentration the more collisions with the active site. This means there is an increased rate of reaction. Creating more froth so the concentration will have to be the same for each of the test tubes.