Enzyme Catalysis Lab

Enzyme catalysis can be a very confusing and long process, but in easier terms can just be explained by the fact that enzymes break down molecules into smaller pieces. The objective of this lab is to observe how quickly the enzyme catalase breaks down H2O2, and what long periods of contact between the two do to that process. We used seven different cups for seven different lengths of time, and in every cup we mixed 10 mL of 1.5% H2O2, 1 mL of distilled water, and 1 mL of catalase. We then waited the indicated period of times on the cups, which is our independent variable, to put the sulfuric acid (H2SO4) in to the cup to stop the reaction. We then added KMnO4, drop by drop, to see how much hydrogen peroxide remained in the solution, which was our dependent variable. An enzyme is a catalyst, and it has two fundamental characteristics that it is known for. One of these things it that it can increase the rate of a chemical reaction without being changed or destroyed in the reaction. The second is that they don’t alter the chemical equilibrium between the reactants and the products while they speed up the reaction. In enzyme catalysis, the substrate, which can also be referred to as the reactant, is transformed into the product of the reaction. This process can happen without an enzyme, but with the …show more content…
Catalase is an enzyme that makes the reaction happen, or catalyzes it. It breaks down hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), into Hydrogen (H2O) and Oxygen (O2). Catalase plays a big role in the protection of organelles and tissues from damage by peroxide, which is produced repeatedly by many metabolic reactions. Although catalase seems to be indestructible, it can be slowed down by an inhibitor. An inhibitor is a molecule or substance that slows down a reaction, such as a detergent. It unravels the enzyme and makes it harder and harder to fit a substrate in to the active