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Enzyme Lab Report

Decent Essays

Introduction:

Although we might not always acknowledge this small proteins, enzymes have come to be revolutionary when it comes to our survival. This is because enzymes are an example of catalysts, which affect the rate at which a chemical reaction occurs by speeding up. Moreover, this is imperative for our survival because chemical reactions provide the energy required by our bodies to perform several life processes that allow us to carry out many of the activities we perform as part of our everyday life. Thus, an enzyme's ability to function properly has become a major factor in our body's ability to function properly and maintain homeostasis. Unfavorably, however, there are some factors that can negatively affect an enzyme's ability to …show more content…

Two such factors include temperature and pH which can have several effects on the structure and activity of an enzyme. For instance, catalase is an enzyme that digests hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)) and when it experiences a change in temperature or pH it becomes denatured (it's nature/shape changes) which doesn't allow it to bond with H2O2. Take the lock and key analogy as an example. If the shape of the door lock doesn't match that of a key, then surely they can't be interlocked together in order to open the door. Moreover, this can also be seen in people who suffer from lactase insufficiency (better known as lactose intolerance.) According to the article "About Lactose Intolerance" by J. Fernando de Rosario, it states "Lactose intolerance occurs when the body makes too little of the enzyme lactase, which is needed to break down lactose into smaller sugars called glucose and galactose." Finally, in order to further investigate the effect of ph on enzymes, my class and I decided to conduct an experiment where we would test out how a potato (which contains the enzyme lactase) would react when placed in an

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