Catalase Activity Essay

The Effect of Varying Environmental Factors on Catalase Activity

I. Introduction

A. Background

Proteins are one of the main building blocks of the body. They are required for the structure, function, and regulation of the body’s tissues and organs. Even smaller units create proteins; these are called amino acids. There are twenty different types of amino acids, and all twenty are configured in many different chains and sequences, producing differing protein structures and functions. An enzyme is a specialized protein that participates in chemical reactions where they serve as catalysts to speed up said reactions, or reduce the energy of activation, noted as Ea (Mader & Windelspecht).

The way an enzyme decreases the energy needed is through

Purpose

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effects that varying temperatures, enzyme concentration, and pH had on catalase activity.

C. Hypothesis

In this experiment as a whole, there were three individual experiments conducted, each with an individualized hypothesis. For the effect of temperature on enzyme activity, catalase activity will be decreased when catalase is exposed to temperatures greater than or less approximately 23 degrees Celsius. For the effect of enzyme concentration on enzyme activity, a concentration of greater or less than approximately 50% enzymes, the less active catalase will be. Lastly, the more the pH buffer deviates from a basic pH of 7, the less active catalase will be.

II. Materials and Methods

A. Materials

• 11 flat bottomed

Three flat-bottomed vials were obtained and labeled one through three. 3 mL of hydrogen peroxide was distributed to each of the vials. One drop of liquid soap was then added to each of the vials. The contents of the vials were gently swirled to ensure mixture of the hydrogen peroxide and soap. In each vial, a pH buffer was added; vial one received pH 2 buffer, vial two received pH 7 buffer, and vial three received pH 12 buffer. 1mL of catalase was then placed into each vial and the reaction was timed for 2 minutes. At the end of two minutes, the bubble column produced was measured and recorded into Table 3. The results were then graphed, as shown in Figure