Catalase Write Up

This experiment was performed to determine the factors that positively influence catalase reaction rates in the break down of hydrogen peroxide. Catalase enzyme activity was measured through its break down of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen through the displacement of water. We compared the decomposition rates in samples with varying pH levels of 2-10. The samples with the most neutral ph level decomposed hydrogen peroxide the quickest and most efficiently. Hypothesis Catalase is a fast working enzyme that breaks down hydrogen peroxide into water and gas. dictionary. com) Many factors affect the break down of hydrogen peroxide, one of the main factors that relates to the human body is pH levels. With the presence of strong acids or strong bases the production rate of oxygen gas will increase the rate of reaction. As quoted from allsciencefair. com “The optimal pH range is about 7-8 (physiological pH of most cells), but a few enzymes can work at extreme pH, such as protease enzymes in animal stomachs, which have an optimum of pH 1. This shows that for the human body catalase needs to be able to function properly at extreme pH levels, proving where our hypothesis was drawn from. http://www. all-science-fair-projects. com/science_fair_projects/105/901/69adbb37c02f0fb4f8b674fbae189d9f. html Procedure Record the pH level of the mix between catalase and the acid/base Dip the circles of filter paper into the mixture and place on top of the inside of the glass bottle. Add 5mL of hydrogen peroxide into the glass bottle ensuring that none touches the opening or the filter paper.
Place the bottle in the water tray and slide the nossel under the graduated cylinder full of water. Flip the bottle so the hydrogen peroxide mixes with the catalase filter paper. Measure the production of oxygen gas every 5 seconds for 1 minute. Repeat for the remaining pH levels. Materials -Sulphuric Acid (0. 05M) -Potassium hydroxide (0. 05M and 0. 5M) -Catalase -water tray -3 250mL beakers -pH paper -3 eye droppers -2 graduated Cylinders -Dissection probe -filter paper -Hole Punch -Water -Distilled water -square glass container with nossel -Safety glasses
Through the results that were gained in our experiment the information proves that as pH level’s move towards their extremes, the rate of oxygen produced decreases severely. As you can see in our sixth trial on day 2 the pH was recorded at f 7 with a rate of reaction of INSERT # HERE indicating to us our middle value to compare other data to. When looking at the trends of trial 1 which is a pH of 5 you can see that the rate decreases as it becomes more acidic, then when comparing to trial 4 with a pH of 2 there is no oxygen gas being produced.

Similarly when the solution becomes more basic the rate decreases as we can see in trial two which yields a pH of 8. As the curve of best fit demonstrates as the pH increases or decreases from the neutral of 7 the reaction rate approach’s 0. In the human body all organs produce catalase but the greatest quantity of catalase is found in the liver. In completing this experiment and analyzing the results it is noticeable that for the human body to have it’s greatest rate of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, a neutral environment is a necessity.
If the human body was to suffer from a case of acidosis where the body became to acidic it would negatively affect the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide by slowing do the process. Hydrogen Peroxide is created by many enzymes in our body that break down fatty acids and amino acids. When the hydrogen peroxide is created its kept in peroxisomes as it can be damaging. Peroxisomes are also where our catalase is stored allowing for the easy break down of the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. http://www. madsci. org/posts/archives/1999-09/938519528. Bc. r. html http://www. scribd. com/doc/90888398/Catalase-Blood-Hydrogen-Peroxide