Investigating Amylase
Aim:
The aim of the experiment is to investigate how effectively the enzyme
amylase breaks down starch at different temperatures, and therefore to
find the optimum temperature that amylase digests starch.
Introduction:
Thousands of chemical reactions take place in our cells and those
reactions need to happen quickly in order to keep us active. These
chemicals are called ENZYMES. Enzymes make reactions happen at a much
faster rate.
Enzymes come in two main types, breakers and builders. Breaker-enzymes
break down large molecules into smaller molecules. Builder enzymes
join small molecules together to make large molecules. The builder
enzyme does this reaction quicker.
Enzymes work on substances called substrates. This reaction takes
place on the surface of the enzyme which is called the Active Site.
[IMAGE]Enzymes break down large food molecules into smaller molecules,
this happens inside your gut. This is called Digestion.
Carbohydrates can only break down carbohydrates, to make sugars.
Proteases can only break down proteins, to make amino acids. Lipases
break down fats, to make fatty acids and glycerol
Enzymes have five important properties:
1. They are all proteins.
2. Each enzyme controls one particular reaction.
3. They can be used again and again.
4. They are affected by temperature.
5. They are affected by Ph.
The information was from 'Encarta 98' and 'Biology For You' - by
Gareth Williams
Background knowledge (facts):
Chemicals changed by enzymes catalysed reactions are called the
substrate of the enzyme they fit into the active site of the enzyme;
this is where the reaction takes place, this happens with a lock and
key mechanism. The product of the reaction then leaves the active
site, freeing it up for more similar reactions to take place.
Amylase is a carbohydrase enzyme which is in our saliva gland, this
helps digest the carbohydrates that we eat e.g. pasta and bread etc.
[IMAGE]
Starch is a large molecule which is made up of lots of other smaller
called an active site. This active site is made by a few of the amino
enzyme. As I'm sure you are well aware, enzymes do not get used up in
Enzymes are biological catalysts, which are proteins that help speed up chemical reactions. Enzymes use reactants, known as the substrates, and are converted into products. Through this chemical reaction, the enzyme itself is not consumed and can be used over and over again for future chemical reactions, but with the same substrate and product formed. Enzymes usually only convert specific substrates into products. Substrates bind to the region of an enzyme called the active site to form the enzyme/substrate complex. Then this becomes the enzyme/products complex, and then the products leave the enzyme. The activity of enzymes can be altered based on a couple of factors. Factors include pH, temperature and others. These factors, if they become
Enzymes are used to carry out reactions in a rapid manner otherwise the reaction would occur very slowly thus not being able to sustain life. Enzymes bind to a substrate that is specific to their task and then conforms into a product that is needed; the enzyme is then able to catalyze more of the same reaction. Enzymes and substrates act as a lock and a key since enzymes are made for a specific substrate and is able to form an enzyme-substrate complex (Department of Biology). Thus changes of the shape of an enzyme can inhibit its ability to catalyze a reaction. If the enzyme shape is alternated due to environmental conditions, it is denatured and can no longer act as a catalyst. Peroxidase is the type of enzyme used in this
Enzymes are proteins that increase the speed of reactions in cells. They are catalysts in these reactions which means that they increase the speed of the reaction without being consumed or changed during the reactions. Cofactors are required by some enzymes to be able to carry out their reactions by obtaining the correct shape to bind to the other molecules of the reaction. Chelating agents are compounds that can disrupt enzyme reactions by binding to metallic ions and change the shape of an enzyme. Catechol is an organic molecule present under the surface of plants. When plants are injured, catechol is exposed to oxygen and benzoquinone is released because of the oxidation of catechol. Catecholase aids in the reaction to produce
How Amylase Concentration Affects the Rate of the Starch Concentration In this piece of coursework, I have to carry out an investigation to find out how amylase concentration affects the rate of starch. Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up the chemical reaction that goes on inside living things. An enzyme acts on substrate and may do its job inside or outside the cells. However, the rate at which enzymes work are affected by the following factors/variables: Concentration:
An enzyme is a protein that is produced by a living organism that acts as a catalyst is a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change. Enzymes have an area with a specific shape, called the active site of the enzyme. The molecule on which the enzyme acts is called a substrate. After the reaction has taken place and the products of the reaction leave the active site, leaving the enzyme ready for another reaction . The active site of an enzyme has such a particular shape that only one kind of molecule will fit it. This is why enzymes are specific to their substrate. The digestive enzymes break down food into small particles that get absorbed by the digestive system. These are the compounds that are used for fuel, repair and growth.
It also shows the higher the concentration the greater number of molecules react with each other. The amount of sucrose and enzymes govern the time for the reactions to take place. If enzyme concentration is increased the sucrose will more quickly. start breaking down as it has more particles to react with.
Investigating the Effect of Substrate Concentration on Catalase Reaction. Planning -Aim : The aim of the experiment is to examine how the concentration of the substrate (Hydrogen Peroxide, H2O2) affects the rate of reaction. the enzyme (catalase).
Investigating the Effect of Enzyme Concentration on the Hydrolysis of Starch with Amylase Aim: Investigate the effect of enzyme concentration on the rate of an enzyme-controlled reaction. Using amylase and starch as my example. Introduction: I am investigating the effect of the concentration of the enzyme, amylase on the time taken for the enzyme to fully breakdown the substrate, starch to a sugar solution. The varied variable will be the concentration and all other variables are going to be fixed. The different concentrations will be: 0.5% 0.75% 1.0% 1.5% 2% An enzyme is a class of protein, which acts as a biological catalyst to speed up the rate of reaction with its substrates.
If I was to do this experiment again I might use a Fungi amylase to
Abstract: Enzymes are catalysts therefore we can state that they work to start a reaction or speed it up. The chemical transformed due to the enzyme (catalase) is known as the substrate. In this lab the chemical used was hydrogen peroxide because it can be broken down by catalase. The substrate in this lab would be hydrogen peroxide and the enzymes used will be catalase which is found in both potatoes and liver. This substrate will fill the active sites on the enzyme and the reaction will vary based on the concentration of both and the different factors in the experiment. Students placed either liver or potatoes in test tubes with the substrate and observed them at different temperatures as well as with different concentrations of the substrate. Upon reviewing observations, it can be concluded that liver contains the greater amount of catalase as its rates of reaction were greater than that of the potato.
However, the decrease varied depending on the temperature. The lowest temperature, 4 degrees Celsius, experienced a very low decrease of amylose percentage. Temperature at 22 degrees Celsius and 37 degrees Celsius, both had a drastic decrease in amylose percentage. While the highest temperature, 70 degrees Celsius, experienced an increase of amylose percentage. In conclusion, as the temperature increases the percentage of amylose decreases; however, if the temperature gets too high the percentage of amylose will begin to increase. The percentage of amylose increases at high temperatures because there is less enzyme activity at high temperatures. However, when the temperature is lower, more enzyme activity will be present, which results in the decrease of amylose percentage. This is why there is a decrease of amylose percentage in 4, 22, and 37 degrees Celsius. In this experiment the optimal temperature is 37 degrees Celsius, this is because this is the average human body temperature. Therefore, amylase works better at temperatures it is familiar
I decided to experiment with pHs within the range pH 2 to pH7, as I
Previous experiments have found that the enzymes break down larger dirt molecules into smaller dirt molecules. Therefore speeding up the process of cleaning clothes (catalyse) as the water can wash them away quicker. Another example of enzymes is the digestive system in the human body. Enzymes called protease are produced by the stomach, the pancreas and the small intestine. These enzymes catalyse the break down of fatty acids into amino acids.