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Rates of reaction into liver
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Enzyme Investigation Enzymes such as Catalase are protein molecules, which are found in living cells. They are used to speed up specific reactions within the cell. They are all very specific as each enzyme just performs one particular reaction. Catalase is an enzyme found in food such as potato and liver. It is used to remove Hydrogen Peroxide from cells. Catalase speeds up the decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide into water and oxygen because the shape of its active site matches the shape of the Hydrogen peroxide molecule. This type of reaction where a molecule is broken down into smaller pieces is called a catabolic reaction. This is the reaction equation for the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen: Hydrogen Peroxide + Catalase = Water + Oxygen. 2H202 2H20 + 02 Aim: The aim of this experiment was to examine the effect of catalase on the breakdown of the substrate hydrogen peroxide. The catalase used was obtained from a piece of liver. An enzyme is a biological catalyst. Catalysts speed up reactions. Most enzymes optimum working temperature is 37 (body temperature), however the optimum working temperature of catalase is 30 . Enzymes have their optimum temperature which is when the molecules of the enzyme are moving at their fastest. This makes it more likely that the enzyme molecules will collide with substrate and react more successfully. At 40 , catalase becomes denatured, which means the molecular bonds of the enzyme are broken, the active site (the area on the enzyme where the reaction takes place) is deformed and the enzyme becomes useless. At 60 catalase is completely destroyed or is said to have denatured. The molecular bonds of the enzyme are weak and are broken by slight changes in its surroundings, like temperature or pH. The concentration of the catalase, compared to the concentration of substrate (in this case, hydrogen peroxide) is important because one is directly proportional to the other. This is because the number of collisions between the catalase molecules and substrate molecules is increased. Eventually, with no more substrate molecules available, the reaction will have reached its maximum level. As the concentration of catalase is increased, the surface area will increase. The larger surface area will provide more active sites for the hydrogen peroxide to react with, increasing the speed in which the reaction takes place, otherwise known as the reaction rate.
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