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Peroxidase Enzyme Biology Lab Report (Half Way Finished) Essay examples

Decent Essays

How Enzymes Work
In Different Environments

By Sarah Smith

Biology1111
October 20, 2011

Lab Partner:
Nellie Greer

ABSTRACT Peroxidase is an enzyme found in potatoes that catalyzes the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide, H2O2, into O2 gas and water. We examined the different pH environments that can affect the enzyme activity during the breakdown of H2O2. In order to do this, we added different levels of pH, low, medium, and high, into different test tubes with the enzyme and H2O2, and we then inverted the tube. The amount of O2 gas produced was then measured and recorded. The result was that the higher pH produced more gas, followed by medium pH, then low pH. The enzymes were more active in the pH of about 10. It increased …show more content…

The effectiveness of peroxidase was measured in a varying pH environment. The environment’s pH can range from 1-14, 7 being neutral, 7-1 being more and more acidic towards 1, and 8-14 being more and more basic towards 14 (Raven, 2011).
We hypothesized that a medium pH buffer added to the hydrogen peroxide an peroxidase reaction would be the best condition for the enzyme activity due to it being the more neutral than the high, being basic, and low, being acidic, pH.

Level of Solution Each Time Interval | Low pHLevel of Gas in mL | Medium pHLevel of Gas in mL | High pHLevel of Gas in mL | Time Zero | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 5 Minutes | 2.7 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 10 Minutes | 3.1 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 15 Minutes | 3.5 | 4 | 5.8 | 20 Minutes | 4 | 4.5 | 7 | 25 Minutes | 4.5 | 5 | 7.9 |

Total Gas in mL | 3 | 3.5 | 6.3 |
Table 1: This table shows the position that the solution was at inside the graduated tube it was held in at each time interval it was measured.

Amount of O2 Produced in Time

Figure 1: Amount of O2 gas curves to the time at which it was measured according to low, medium, and high pH.

Bibliography
Raven, Peter H., & Johnson, George. 2011. Biology, 9th ed. McGraw-Hill, New York.
Kaiser, Gary E. 2001. Enzymes.

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