Surface Area's Effect on the Way Enzymes Work

Surface Area's Effect on the Way Enzymes Work

Introduction

I am doing an investigation to see how the amount of surface area

affects how a enzyme, Catalase works. Catalase is a biological

catalyst which means that is speeds up a reaction itself. I am going

to see how much foam is created after 5 minutes, this should show us

whether the amount of surface gives a better or worse reaction.

My input variable will be the surface area. The potato which contains

the Catalase will be cut into piece this size:

1cm x 1cm x 2cm.

Test tube A will have a piece of potato which is this size. Test tube

B will have this size potato in but cut in half and Test tube C will

have this size potato in it but cut into thirds, this means the

surface area is gradually increased.

The surface area for the potato in Test Tube

A = 10cm

B = 12cm

C = 14cm

This shows that there is a difference of 2cm between A and B, and B

and C, also that there is a 4cm difference between A and C. Test tube

B has increased by one fifth of what Test tube A is and Test tube C

has increased by two fifths of what test tube A is.

Prediction

The reaction that I expect to happen is:

2H2O2 2H2O + 2O2.

I would expect that as the surface area increases so will the amount

of foam created. This is because the more surface area is the more

chance there is that the molecules will collide with each other.

Whereas if there is less surface area there is less to collide with.

If there was less surface area then there would be a less likely

chance that the enzymes would meet their substrates so they could

react.

I expect my graph to look like it does on the next page because I

would expect that because the surface area for Test tube B has