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Catalase Enzyme Lab

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Catalase Enzyme Lab
Catalase Enzyme Lab

Samiya Hussein
March 9, 2012

Introduction
In order to receive the necessary amounts of energy required for daily function, the digestive system must break down proteins, fats and carbohydrates. In doing so, the body produces poisonous chemicals; however, the cells aren’t harmed. This is because enzymes are used to break down these chemicals. The name of the enzyme that was the main focus of the lab is catalase. Catalase is responsible for catalyzing hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water. Since hydrogen peroxide is continuously produced by numerous metabolic reactions, catalase helps to prevent the body tissues from being damaged by the peroxide. pH is used to measure the acidity or basicity of a solution and is very important when chemical reactions are concerned. A value of 7 is neutral while a pH of less than 7 is acidic and a greater pH than 7 is basic. This scale is logarithmic, which means that for every increase or decrease is 10 times more or less acidic/basic than before. In the human body, optimal pH levels range from 7.35-7.45, any changes out of this range can be detrimental to one’s health.

Problem
The questions being asked in this lab are: Is catalase reusable? What are the optimal conditions for catalase? How does the activity of catalase compare in liver and other tissues?
Hypothesis
Part A: If the liver is placed in 2 ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide, then the result will be a high rate of reaction because catalase reacts with hydrogen peroxide to form hydrogen and oxygen. If pieces of potato, chicken, and apple are placed into 2 ml of hydrogen peroxide separately, then the chicken will have the highest reaction
Part B: If the liver is placed in 2 ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide at room temperature, then there will be a high rate of reaction. If the temperatures are at extremes, the enzyme will be denatured and therefore won’t catalyze the hydrogen peroxide.
Part C: If the pH is neutral, then the enzyme will react


Bibliography: Brain, Marshall. "HowStuffWorks "How Cells Work"." HowStuffWorks "Science". N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/cellular-microscopic/cell2.htm>. "Denature - definition of denature by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/denature>. "The pH scale." All about pH. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://www.all-about-ph.com/ph-scale.html>.
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