Catalase Lab

Abstract The purpose of this lab was to test if ethanol affects the reaction involving hydrogen peroxide and catalase. Tests were performed by putting chicken liver, ethanol solution (diluted ethanol solution for other trials) and hydrogen peroxide in a test tube with a side arm, and having a rubber tube lead the oxygen gas into a gas collection tube. Results from the tests showed a negative correlation, this means that the more diluted the solution of 95% ethanol was, the less oxygen gas collected. Controlling a number of factors which include human error, temperature change, pH levels, substrate concentrations and ensuring a controlled experimental environment will work to increase the accuracy of the experiment.
Purpose/Hypothesis
If
The effect that ethanol has on a functional liver is ultimately damaging it by causing inflammation and scarring through the production of toxins and reactive oxygen species (ROS) when consumed in excess.4 Ethanol cannot be removed and must be metabolized by the liver. The ethanol metabolism will eventually produce a toxic by-product such as acetaldehyde; it can eventually attack the liver and can also account for cirrhosis.5 But the chicken liver that is used will not be able to metabolize the ethanol since it is non-functional. The liver contains cells called hepatocytes; the breakdown of ethanol requires multiple enzymatic processes in these cells, which requires the organism to be alive to activate these enzymes.6 Since the chicken liver is not a live sample, these enzymes are not able to perform its functions, therefore it is
Some things that have gone wrong during the experiment include pouring in the hydrogen peroxide into the test tube, and not being able to close the test tube fast enough, allowing some oxygen gas to escape instead of going through the rubber tube into the gas collection tube. Another thing would be while measuring the 1g of chicken liver on a scale and pouring it into a test tube, some of the chicken liver would get stuck onto either the plastic container holding the chicken liver, or it would get stuck on the side of the test tube. This would not allow the chicken liver to fully react with the catalase enzyme. A big factor to the results of the lab would be the ethanol and the chicken liver itself. Ethanol contains alcohol, which cannot be removed and must be metabolized by the liver. As the liver breaks the alcohol down, many by-products such as acetaldehyde are formed, which can be extremely dangerous to the body than the alcohol itself. These by-products will eventually aggress onto the liver and cause cirrhosis, which is an abnormal liver condition that could ultimately stop liver function.10 However, since the liver that was used in this lab was an entirely non-functional chicken liver, the liver cannot metabolize the ethanol, therefore no toxic by-products can be produced to attack the liver. This means that the ethanol diluted with distilled water only diluted the hydrogen peroxide in this reaction, decreasing the concentration of the hydrogen