Toothpick Enzyme Lap Report
Omar Shbeeb
Toothpick Enzyme Lab
9/25/13
Introduction Enzymes are used in all metabolic reactions to control the rate of reactions and decrease the amount of energy necessary for the reaction to take place. They are responsible for the thousands of chemical interconversions that sustain life. Enzymes are referred to highly selective catalysts, meaning they speed up the rate of metabolic reactions. To react, they need to find a perfect match with a substrate. They converge at a place called an active site.
To investigate, scientist use toothpicks to act like substrates. They test it by having toothpicks, and breaking them in a bowl. This means that the person’s fingers are the enzymes, and the toothpicks are the substrate. The purpose of this investigation was to find out how substrate concentration and temperature affect enzyme function.
Hypothesis Experiment A: If the time was increased, then more toothpicks were to be broken in a short period of time. Experiment B: If the concentration of toothpicks were increased, the test subject could break more in a short time. Experiment C: If the temperature is decreased, then the reaction time decreases as well.
Materials Experiment A: 100 toothpicks per team bowl, a clock/watch with a second hand, and a pencil. Experiment B: 1 box of toothpicks per team, 100 paper clips, a clock/watch with a second hand, and a pencil. Experiment C: 10 toothpicks per team, ice and an ice bucket, a clock/watch with a second hand, and a pencil.
Procedure
Experiment A:
1. Count out 100 unbroken toothpicks into a bowl on the group’s desk.
2. Have one person in the group serve as the timer, have one person serve as the recorder, and have another person in your group act as the enzyme or toothpick-ase.
3. The person acting as the enzyme is to break the toothpicks without looking at the bowl and all of its products (broken toothpicks.) All toothpicks must remain in the bowl along with the unbroken toothpicks and
Toothpick Enzyme Lab
9/25/13
Introduction Enzymes are used in all metabolic reactions to control the rate of reactions and decrease the amount of energy necessary for the reaction to take place. They are responsible for the thousands of chemical interconversions that sustain life. Enzymes are referred to highly selective catalysts, meaning they speed up the rate of metabolic reactions. To react, they need to find a perfect match with a substrate. They converge at a place called an active site.
To investigate, scientist use toothpicks to act like substrates. They test it by having toothpicks, and breaking them in a bowl. This means that the person’s fingers are the enzymes, and the toothpicks are the substrate. The purpose of this investigation was to find out how substrate concentration and temperature affect enzyme function.
Hypothesis Experiment A: If the time was increased, then more toothpicks were to be broken in a short period of time. Experiment B: If the concentration of toothpicks were increased, the test subject could break more in a short time. Experiment C: If the temperature is decreased, then the reaction time decreases as well.
Materials Experiment A: 100 toothpicks per team bowl, a clock/watch with a second hand, and a pencil. Experiment B: 1 box of toothpicks per team, 100 paper clips, a clock/watch with a second hand, and a pencil. Experiment C: 10 toothpicks per team, ice and an ice bucket, a clock/watch with a second hand, and a pencil.
Procedure
Experiment A:
1. Count out 100 unbroken toothpicks into a bowl on the group’s desk.
2. Have one person in the group serve as the timer, have one person serve as the recorder, and have another person in your group act as the enzyme or toothpick-ase.
3. The person acting as the enzyme is to break the toothpicks without looking at the bowl and all of its products (broken toothpicks.) All toothpicks must remain in the bowl along with the unbroken toothpicks and