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The Effect of Enzymes on Hydrogen Peroxide Decomposition

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What is the function of enzymes in a living system?
Enzymes speed up metabolic reactions necessary for life. Without them certain vital processes would not take place and the body would be unable to function.
Difference enzymes work better under different conditions. Where in a human body might it be beneficial to have enzymes work in very acidic environments?
In areas, like the stomach, that have a pH of two would benefit by having enzymes that function well in acidic environments. An example of such an enzyme is pepsin.
There is a large amount of catalase found in a human liver. Does the liver break down more hydrogen peroxide in the summer or winter? Explain your answer.
More hydrogen peroxide will be broken down in the summer …show more content…

Potassium permanganate - used to titrate and determine the amount of decomposed hydrogen peroxide.
Sulfuric acid - was used to stop the reaction with catalase and hydrogen peroxide. It denatured the enzyme (catalase) and halted the reaction so the amount of hydrogen peroxide decomposed could be measured.

Before performing part D of the experiment, why was it necessary to establish a baseline?
The baseline is a control and shows the amount of decomposed hydrogen peroxide in the initial sample.
You may have observed the reaction of naturally-occurring catalase in tissue from either liver of potato. Design an experiment to determine if the amount of catalase varies from tissue to tissue (e.g. 200 g of liver compared to 200 g of potato).
Put the 100 g of potato in 1 petri dish and 100 g of liver in another petri dish. Then put equal amounts of hydrogen peroxide for an equal period of time in both dishes. Drain the dishes and titrate them with potassium permanganate simultaneously. The numbers can now be compared using the steps in the sample calculation above in the lab report. In order to compare perform a potassium permanganate titration on pure hydrogen peroxide.
Of the thousands of enzymes known, there is a family of enzymes called proteases that catalyze a reaction of breaking down proteins. What do you think would happen if you added a protease to your sample of catalase before proceeding with your experiment?
The catalase would be broken

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