Introduction
H2O2 is commonly known as hydrogen peroxide and it is a strong oxidizer and a naturally produced compound in humans as a by-product of oxidative metabolism. Because of this, humans also produce the enzyme catalase peroxidases in order to convert small amounts of H2O2 into oxygen and water. It uses the following chemical formula:
2H_2 O_2→O_2+〖2H〗_2 O
This process is called decomposition as two hydrogen peroxide molecules are broken down into oxygen and two water molecules.
Catalase is an important enzyme that protects cells from oxidative damage, which hydrogen peroxide can cause. It is an incredibly efficient enzyme where one catalase molecule can convert millions of hydrogen peroxide molecules each second.
This experiment looked at how substrate concentration can affect enzyme activity. In this case the substrate was hydrogen peroxide and the enzyme was catalase. Pieces of meat providing the catalase were added to increasing concentrations of hydrogen peroxide in order to measure the effect of hydrogen peroxide concentrations on the enzyme’s activity. The variable measured was oxygen produced, as water would be too difficult to measure with basic equipment.
Research Question
What is the effect of the concentration of a hydrogen peroxide solution on catalase activity?
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that catalase activity will increase exponentially with higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide until all catalase active sites are filled, in which case the
“Peroxisomes are so named because they usually contain enzymes that use oxygen to remove hydrogen atoms from specific substrates in an oxidative reaction that produces hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (McCance & Huether, pg. 7).
We hypothesized that a medium pH buffer added to the hydrogen peroxide an peroxidase reaction would be the best condition for the enzyme activity due to it being the more neutral than the high, being basic, and low, being acidic, pH.
The purpose of this experiment is to learn the effects of a certain enzyme (Peroxidase) concentration, to figure out the temperature and pH effects on Peroxidase activity and the effect of an inhibitor. The procedure includes using pH5, H202, Enzyme Extract, and Guaiacol and calibrating a spectrophotometer to determine the effect of enzyme concentration. As the experiment continues, the same reagents are used with the spectrophotometer to determine the temperature and pH effects on Peroxidase activity. Lastly, to determine the effect of an inhibitor on Peroxidase, an inhibitor is added to the extract. It was found that an increase in enzyme concentration also caused an increase in the reaction rate. The reaction rate of peroxidase increases at 40oC. Peroxidase performed the best under pH5 and declined as it became more basic. The inhibitor (Hydroxy-lamine) caused a decline in the reaction rate. The significance of this experiment is to find the optimal living conditions for Peroxidase. This enzyme is vital because it gets rid of hydrogen peroxide, which is toxic to living environments.
We used apple, potato, and chicken liver to prove that not only beef liver contains catalase. The group conducted three experiments: one contained potato and H2O2, another had apple and H2O2, and the last had chicken liver and H2O2. We added 2mL of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to all three test tubes. The bubbling effect proved that all three had catalase in them. We realized that the more the substance bubbled the more catalase it contained, and that the less it bubbled, the less catalase there was. We also rated the reactions by the speed of the reaction in seconds, like we learned in part
The aim of this study was to test the rate of reactivity of the enzyme catalase on hydrogen peroxide while subject to different concentrations of an inhibitor. The hypothesis was that hydrogen peroxide will be broken down by catalase into hydrogen and oxygen, where a higher concentration of inhibitor will yield less oxygen, resultant of a lower rate of reaction. Crushed potato samples of equal weight were placed in hydrogen peroxide solutions of various temperatures. The results showed that less gas was produced as the concentration of the inhibitor rose. This Is because more enzymes were inhibited, and so less active sites were available for reaction.
Its role as an enzyme is to quickly break down hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into water and oxygen, preventing cellular damages. H2O2 is produced as a harmful by-product in all organisms that use molecular oxygen, so catalase is especially abundant in liver cells of humans and other organisms, because the liver is an organ that detoxifies many harmful substances including peroxides (Lab Manual). The catalase and hydrogen peroxide reaction process is as seen as below:
The purpose of this investigation is to discover the effect of pH on the activity of catalase, an enzyme which plays the integral role of converting hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen, and discover which pH level it will work at the most efficient rate (the optimum). The original hypothesis states that that the optimum would be at a pH is 7, due to the liver, where catalase usually resides, being neutral. The experiment consists of introducing the catalase to hydrogen peroxide, after exposure to certain solutions; hydrogen peroxide, water and hydrochloric acids, all containing the adjusted pH, and measuring the height of froth formed, an observable representation of the activity of the enzyme. The final data indicated that
peroxide (H2O2). The enzyme breaks H2O2 into water and oxygen. The production of the oxygen
Catalase, an enzyme that brings about (catalyzes) the reaction by which hydrogen peroxide is decomposed to water and oxygen. Found extensively in mammalian tissues, catalase prevents the accumulation of and protects the body tissues from
This experiment is designed to analyze how the enzyme catalase activity is affected by the pH levels. The experiment has also been designed to outline all of the directions and the ways by which the observation can be made clearly and accurately. Yeast, will be used as the enzyme and hydrogen peroxide will be used as a substrate. This experiment will be used to determine the effects of the concentration of the hydrogen peroxide versus the rate of reaction of the enzyme catalase.
This investigation will be carried out to investigate the rate of reaction of the enzyme catalase on the substrate hydrogen peroxide.
The purpose of this experiment was to record catalase enzyme activity with different temperatures and substrate concentrations. It was hypothesized that, until all active sites were bound, as the substrate concentration increased, the reaction rate would increase. The first experiment consisted of five different substrate concentrations, 0.8%, 0.4%, 0.2%, 0.1%, and 0% H2O2. The second experiment was completed using 0.8% substrate concentration and four different temperatures of enzymes ranging from cold to boiled. It was hypothesized that as the temperature increased, the reaction rate would increase. This would occur until the enzyme was denatured. The results from the two experiments show that the more substrate concentration,
Observing how the enzyme catalase found in chicken and beef livers breaks down hydrogen peroxide at varying pH levels and temperatures.
Hydrogen peroxide is a toxic byproduct of cellular functions. To maintain hydrogen peroxide levels the catalase enzyme deconstructs hydrogen peroxide and reconstructs the reactants into oxygen gas and water. The catalase enzyme is found inside cells of most plants and animals. Regulating the levels of hydrogen peroxide is crucial in homeostasis and analyzing it’s optimal conditions for performance is just as important. To understand the optimal environment for this enzyme, they are put into different environments based off protein activity (enzymes are proteins). Catalase samples will be put into different hydrogen peroxide environments based off pH and temperature. The more active the enzyme, the more oxygen and water it will produce. Enzyme activity can be seen through the release of oxygen in the hydrogen peroxide. Since oxygen cannot be accurately measured, the data will consist of the longevity of the reaction in different environments. If the pH is higher than 7, then the reaction rate will increase due to the ample amount of hydrogen ions in the hydrogen peroxide. However the pH level cannot be higher than 10 or else there will be too many hydrogen atoms in the peroxide for the enzyme to be able to deconstruct them. If the temperature is increased, then the reaction rate will increase due to the ample amount of energy and movement in the hydrogen peroxide and enzyme.
The catalase enzyme is so critical to our health that it is found in nearly every living organism on the planet that is exposed to oxygen. This antioxidant enzyme can catalyze the conversion of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. Hydrogen peroxide is a by-product of cell metabolism, which serves some useful functions including healthy immune response. (Group, 2013) Catalase has one of the highest rates of turnover when compared to all other enzymes. In other words, one catalase enzyme can change 40 million molecules of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen in just one second. In fact, catalase enzymes act to protect our cells, counteracting and balancing the continual production of hydrogen peroxide. Because of its undeniable, scientifically-proven