The purpose of this experiment is to discover which environmental factors, the independent variables, are most optimal for enzyme functionality and how they affect enzyme functionality. Enzymes help speed up chemical reactions in the body and lower the activation energy to do so. Enzymes can also aid with metabolism and digestion. They can break down larger molecules to smaller molecules that are more easily absorbed by the body. A substrate is the reactant that is acted upon by an enzyme in a chemical reaction. The substrate attaches itself to the active site, the place where the enzyme catalyzes.
The process for enzyme and substrate interaction is called induced fit. The process in explanation, “When an enzyme binds to its substrate, it forms an enzyme-substrate complex...The enzyme will always return to its original state at the completion of the reaction...After an enzyme is done catalyzing it releases its products”(Boundless, 2015). This lab demonstrates an enzyme’s functionalities by using the enzyme called catalase. Catalase helps break down hydrogen peroxide, the substrate, to water and oxygen, the products. To illustrate its effectiveness “Catalase prevents the accumulation of and protects cellular organelles and tissues from damage by peroxide... In mammals, catalase is found …show more content…
An acidic solution is filled with hydrogen ions, while a basic solution is relatively lacking hydrogen ions. The pH has a scale from 0 to 14. 0 to 6 is acidic, while 8 to 14 is alkaline, and 7 is neutral, In this lab pH’s of 3, 7, the control, and 11 are used to represent acidic, neutral, and alkaline environmental factors. A human’s body needs both alkalinity and acidity, therefore the average pH of one’s body is around 7.4. The effect of pH on enzymes can alter the shape and functionality of it and even change the properties of the substrate, unabling it to bind to the active site. The optimum pH for catalase is around
The process for enzyme and substrate interaction is called induced fit. The process in explanation, “When an enzyme binds to its substrate, it forms an enzyme-substrate complex...The enzyme will always return to its original state at the completion of the reaction...After an enzyme is done catalyzing it releases its products”(Boundless, 2015). This lab demonstrates an enzyme’s functionalities by using the enzyme called catalase. Catalase helps break down hydrogen peroxide, the substrate, to water and oxygen, the products. To illustrate its effectiveness “Catalase prevents the accumulation of and protects cellular organelles and tissues from damage by peroxide... In mammals, catalase is found …show more content…
An acidic solution is filled with hydrogen ions, while a basic solution is relatively lacking hydrogen ions. The pH has a scale from 0 to 14. 0 to 6 is acidic, while 8 to 14 is alkaline, and 7 is neutral, In this lab pH’s of 3, 7, the control, and 11 are used to represent acidic, neutral, and alkaline environmental factors. A human’s body needs both alkalinity and acidity, therefore the average pH of one’s body is around 7.4. The effect of pH on enzymes can alter the shape and functionality of it and even change the properties of the substrate, unabling it to bind to the active site. The optimum pH for catalase is around