Potato Enzyme Lab
Potato Enzyme Lab
INTRODUCTION
An enzyme is a protein that speeds up or slows down a specific chemical reaction in an organism. A good rule of thumb is to remember that enzyme names end in “-ase”. This will help in identifying enzymes in further readings. Generally enzymes are catalysts.
Hydrogen peroxide is a toxic chemical that is produced in many organisms during metabolism. Organisms must get rid of this toxin to survive. One reaction turns the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. The enzyme that helps with this reaction is called catalase. This is found in both plants and animals. In this lab we will use potatoes as our catalase source. The reaction equation is:
Catalase
2H2O2 2H2O + O2
Additional Information …show more content…
2. What test tube is the control group? Why?
The test tube with the sand because it is not living and does not contain an enzyme in it. 3. Formulate an If/then hypothesis. Remember if/then hypothesis always follow the same form of if the ________________(dependent variable) is related to the _______________(independent variable) in ________ way, then given _____(condition) I predict ______________(outcome).
If the reaction time is related to the state of the potato, the amount of bubbles will be an indicator of the enzyme catalyzing the hydrogen peroxide break down.
If the potato is cooked, then there will be no reaction because the enzymes were denatured when the potato was heated.
If the potato is diced, then there will be a reaction; it will be slower because there is less surface area and less tissue broken compared to the ground potato.
If the potato is ground, then there will be a significant reaction because many tissue cells in the potato were broken and there is greater surface area for the chemical reaction with hydrogen peroxide to break down. 4. What is the point of adding sand to test tube
INTRODUCTION
An enzyme is a protein that speeds up or slows down a specific chemical reaction in an organism. A good rule of thumb is to remember that enzyme names end in “-ase”. This will help in identifying enzymes in further readings. Generally enzymes are catalysts.
Hydrogen peroxide is a toxic chemical that is produced in many organisms during metabolism. Organisms must get rid of this toxin to survive. One reaction turns the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. The enzyme that helps with this reaction is called catalase. This is found in both plants and animals. In this lab we will use potatoes as our catalase source. The reaction equation is:
Catalase
2H2O2 2H2O + O2
Additional Information …show more content…
2. What test tube is the control group? Why?
The test tube with the sand because it is not living and does not contain an enzyme in it. 3. Formulate an If/then hypothesis. Remember if/then hypothesis always follow the same form of if the ________________(dependent variable) is related to the _______________(independent variable) in ________ way, then given _____(condition) I predict ______________(outcome).
If the reaction time is related to the state of the potato, the amount of bubbles will be an indicator of the enzyme catalyzing the hydrogen peroxide break down.
If the potato is cooked, then there will be no reaction because the enzymes were denatured when the potato was heated.
If the potato is diced, then there will be a reaction; it will be slower because there is less surface area and less tissue broken compared to the ground potato.
If the potato is ground, then there will be a significant reaction because many tissue cells in the potato were broken and there is greater surface area for the chemical reaction with hydrogen peroxide to break down. 4. What is the point of adding sand to test tube