Amylase Lab Report

When the enzyme amylase comes in contact with the starch molecules, it decreases the energy needed for the chemical reaction that breaks starch down into maltose, a simple sugar. The maltose molecules, or substrate. Fit perfectly into the enzyme’s active site, and thus the activation energy is reduced and the reaction can take place. This won’t work, however, if the enzyme is denatured. Denaturing occurs when either the temperature or pH of the enzyme is changed.

In our lab, denaturing was simulated in test tubes A and B. In test tube A, the pH was changed when vinegar, an acid with a lower pH than the enzyme is typically subject to, was added to the saliva and starch solution. In test tube B, the temperature was changed when the solution was exposed to the boiling water bath. Test tube C was left alone, as the control group. When the Benedict’s solution was added, we could have expected that test tubes a and b denatured and did not react at all, and test tube c displayed a stronger reaction. The actual data, however, proved that was not the case.

Test Tube B, however, produced a weak positive reaction between the starch and amylase. This was unexpected, as once the tube was subject to the boiling water bath the temperature should have changed enough to denature the enzyme. Test tube C produced another positive reaction, as