Spinach Enzyme Lab Report

The more acidic a substance is the less oxygen it will produce when going through a chemical reaction. During the Lab “How Do Changes in pH Levels Affect Enzymes Activity”, the researcher conducted an experiment to test the effects that an acidic, neutral, and a base substance will have when combine it with hydrogen peroxide. The data table shows that HCL (acidic substance) barley produced any oxygen at all when it was combining with Hydrogen Peroxide. The pH level for HCL was 2.5; this level indicates that the substance was very acidic. When the H2O and NaOH were tested they produced more bubbles than HCL. NaoH produced a little more bubbles than HCL. The pH that NaoH produced was a 9, which is a base. H2O produced more bubbles than both substances;

In this experiment, the naturally occurring peroxidase is extracted from homogenized turnip (Brassica rapa) pulp (Coleman 2016). Its role in the environment is to remove toxic hydrogen peroxide during metabolic processes where oxygen is used (Coleman 2016). The goal of this experiment is to evaluate the change of absorbency of turnip peroxidase within a metabolic reaction utilizing oxygen. Any change noted is indicative of the peroxidase removing hydrogen peroxide. Within this experiment, the extract will be prepared, the amount of enzyme will be standardized, and the effect of changing the optimal conditions will be observed. If the enzyme concentration is increased then the rate of the reaction decrease. If the pH of solutions used is increased

For enzymes to be useful in a reaction, the substrate needs to bind with the enzymes active site. The active site is specific for a

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 catalysts that function to speed up reactions; for example, the enzyme sucrose speeds up the hydrolysis of sucrose, which breaks down into glucose and fructose. They speed up reactions but are not consumed by the reaction that is taking place. The most important of the enzyme is the shape as it determines which type of reaction the enzyme speeds up. Enzymes work by passing/lowering and energy barrier and in doing so; they need to bind to substrates via the active. Once they do, the reaction speeds up so much more quickly than it would without the enzyme. Coenzymes and cofactors aid the enzyme when it comes to binding with the substrate. They change the shape of the active site so the substrate can bind properly and perform its function.

B. Catalysis occurs on a specific site on the enzyme (the active site). The active site is usually less than 5% of the surface area of the protein, and is always in a cleft. The rest of the molecule serves to present the active site in a three dimensional structure that is capable of binding substrate and catalyzing the reaction. Binding to a substrate is very specific, and involves ionic interactions, H bonds and van der Waals forces.

For a product to be formed, the substrate must bind with the enzyme's active site. Enzymes are globular biological catalysts, which speed up a chemical reaction. Enzymes have an active site, where another molecule called a substrate combines.

Enzymes have an active site which has a complimentary base to a specific substrate, when these bind an enzyme-substrate complex is

Cells are the building blocks of life. Life itself would not be possible without cells and the actions they carry out. Hundreds of biological and chemical reactions take place in the cell every second. Most of the reactions in a cell use enzymes to speed up the reaction. An enzyme is a protein catalyst used by living organisms to increase the rate of biological reactions (Freeman et. al. 2016, p90). A catalyst brings substrates together in a precise orientation that makes reactions more likely. Enzymes have an “active site,” which is where the reactants bind to the enzyme. The active site is where catalysis occurs. The reactants of the enzyme are called the substrates. Enzymes are extremely effective at catalyzing reactions because

“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].

Organisms cannot depend solely on spontaneous reactions for the production of materials because they occur slowly and are not responsive to the organism's needs (Martineau, Dean, et al, Laboratory Manual, 43). In order to speed up the reaction process, cells use enzymes as biological catalysts. Enzymes are able to speed up the reaction through lowering activation energy. Additionally, enzymes facilitate reactions without being consumed (manual,43). Each enzyme acts on a specific molecule or set of molecules referred to as the enzyme's substrate and the results of this reaction are called products (manual 43). As a result, enzymes promote a reaction so that substrates are converted into products on a faster pace (manual 43). Most enzymes are proteins whose structure is determined by its sequence of its amino acids. Enzymes are designed to function the best under physiological conditions of PH and temperature. Any change of these variables that change the conformation of the enzyme will destroy or enhance enzyme activity(manual, 43).

Each enzyme is very specific and can only catalyze a certain reaction. The specific reaction catalyzed by an enzyme depends on the molecular structure and shape of a small area of the enzyme’s surface called the active site. The active site an attract and hold only its specific molecules. The target molecule that the enzyme attracts and acts upon is called the substrate. The substrate and the active site of the molecule must fit together very closely. Sometimes the enzyme changes its shape slightly to bring about the necessary fit.

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

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.

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.