Factors that Affect the Activity of Urease Essay example

KIO3 + 6 HCl + 6 Na2S2O3 → 3 Na2S4O6 + KI +3 H2o + 6 NaCl

2. Summarize the following description of a chemical reaction in the form of a balanced chemical equation?

Enzymes are biological catalysts that speed up chemical reactions, without being used up or changed. Catalase is a globular protein molecule that is found in all living cells. A globular protein is a protein with its molecules curled up into a 'ball' shape. All enzymes have an active site. This is where another molecule(s) can bind with the enzyme. This molecule is known as the substrate. When the substrate binds with the enzyme, a product is produced. Enzymes are specific to their substrate, because the shape of their active site will only fit the shape of their substrate. It is said that the substrate is complimentary to their substrate.

Enzymes are essentially proteins and will only act in an aqueous environment. An enzyme is specific for a certain reaction or

Enzymes are specific-type proteins that act as a catalyst by lowering the activation energy of a reaction. Each enzyme binds closely to the substrate; this greatly increases the reaction rate of the bounded substrate. Amylase enzyme, just like any other enzyme, has an optimum PH and temperature range in which it is most active, and in which the substrate binds most easily.

Urease is an intracellular enzyme that hydrolyzes urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide. Urea broth is used to determine urease production. Phenol red is used as a pH indicator. Urea hydrolysis produces ammonia that raises the pH in the medium and turn pH indicator pink (Leboffe and Pierce). The positive test for urease is pink in color that takes around 8 days.

The independent variable in this investigation is pH. Each individual enzyme has it’s own pH characteristic. This is because the hydrogen and ionic bonds between –NH2 and –COOH groups of the polypeptides that make up the enzyme, fix the exact arrangement of the active site of an enzyme. It is crucial to be aware of how even small changes in the

enable the substrate to bind to the enzyme and form the enzyme substrate complex and

To understand how and why the experiment was performed, one must understand what enzymes and substrates are. Enzymes are defined as proteins that are capable of speeding up a chemical reaction by reducing the amount of activation energy needed to catalyze that reaction (Raven, Johnson and Mason 2014). Enzymes regulate these biochemical processes

“Enzymes are proteins that have catalytic functions” [1], “that speed up or slow down reactions”[2], “indispensable to maintenance and activity of life”[1]. They are each very specific, and will only work when a particular substrate fits in their active site. An active site is “a region on the surface of an enzyme where the substrate binds, and where the reaction occurs”[2].

Lock and Key theory Enzymes are specific to a particular substrate molecule or a restricted group of substrate molecules. Surface area to volume Smaller organisms have larger surface area to volume ratio’s (surface area divided by volume) than larger ones. In principle the greater the surface area, the more active site in contact with the substrate therefore it increases the rate of reaction, and the thinner the separating layers. Another factor to consider is the larger the volume of the drop the more enzymes it contains inside it.

Enzymes are central to every biochemical process. Due to their high specificity they are capable of catalyzing hundreds of reactions that signifies their vast practical importance.

Enzymes are very specific in nature, which helps them in reactions. When an enzyme recognizes its specific substrate, the

6CO2 + 6H2O  C6H12O6 + 6O2 (light energy is used as a catalyst in this equation)

Enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts and help reactions take place. In short, enzymes reduce the energy needed for a reaction to take place, permitting a reaction to take place more easily. Some enzymes are shape specific and reduce the energy for certain reactions. Enzymes have unique folds of the amino acid chain which result in specifically shaped active sites (Frankova Fry 2013). When substrates fit in the active site of an enzyme, then it is able to catalyze the reaction. Enzyme activity is affected by the concentrations of the enzymes and substrate present (Worthington 2010). As the incidence of enzyme increases, the rate of reaction increases. Additionally, as the incidence of substrate increases so does the rate of reaction.