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Potato Catalase Lab

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Introduction
Enzymes are proteins in living organisms that speed up chemical reactions and are also vital in making sure our bodies can function. These chemical reactions are know as catalysts. However, enzymes can not create these reactions by themselves. So, they work with molecules called substrates to help them out. The enzyme and substrate would usually fit perfectly together, unless the enzyme loses its shape. Two major things that can impact the disfiguration of the enzyme's shape are changes in temperature or pH levels. In this lab, our goal was to show if enzyme activity differs due to changes in temperature and pH levels by using catalase solution (potato puree), hydrogen peroxide, Hydrochloric Acid solution, sodium hydroxide (base …show more content…

We measured 3 mL. of catalase into eight test tubes because to us, it was the right amount to place into a test tube, without having any overspills. For two test tubes, we added 9 mL. of vinegar and 9 mL. of Hydrochloric Acid (HCL) to another pair of test tubes because this amount was reasonable for not being too much that it overpowers the catalase and not too little that we may not see any impact. Now, we repeat the same process of adding hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and sodium hydroxide (base solution) to the rest of the pairs of test tubes with catalase. Our group then analyzed each pair's appearance and its amount of foam. Thus, we can compare it to later results from the second experiment that would be conducted as the following. Afterwards, our group individually takes one tube from each pair, containing the same base or acid, and put it into a beaker filled halfway with ice for two to three minutes. We believed this amount of time was the most efficient for us to be able to finish the lab and collection of data. At the same

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