How does mixing hydrogen peroxide and water test the reactivity of catalase?
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AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT
BACKGROUNDNormal oxidative cell processes in living organisms, including bacteria, plants and animals, can lead to the formation of hydrogen peroxide, H2O2. This can be very damaging as it is soluble in water and attacks proteins, cell membranes and DNA. To combat the ever-present threat of hydrogen peroxide, living cells produce an enzyme known as Catalase that rapidly breaks hydrogen peroxide down into water and oxygen. This experiment, studies the effect of substrate concentration on the rate of reaction. Discs of porous filter paper are soaked in a solution of catalase then submerged in a beaker containing hydrogen peroxide. As the reaction proceeds, tiny bubbles of oxygen form and coalesce into larger bubbles. Eventually, there will be enough bubbles to make the paper disc buoyant and it will lift off the bottom of the beaker and float to the top. The time from submersion to “lift off” is a measure of the rate of reaction. PREPARATION - COMPLETED BY LAB TECHNICIANCatalase Solution:
Hydrogen Peroxide test solutions:
Prepare test solutions as follows: Filter Paper Discs
METHOD - STUDENT PRACTICAL
EXTENSION WORK
FUN FACT
How does mixing hydrogen peroxide and water test the reactivity?How does mixing hydrogen peroxide and water test the reactivity of catalase? a. It shows that water and hydrogen peroxide cause a reaction.
What happens when you mix hydrogen peroxide and catalase?When the enzyme catalase comes into contact with its substrate, hydrogen peroxide, it starts breaking it down into water and oxygen.
What happens when catalase is mixed with water?As the catalase breaks down the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen gas, the bubbles of oxygen collect underneath the filter and make it rise to the surface of the hydrogen peroxide.
Do you expect to see a reaction from mixing hydrogen peroxide and water?Therefore, in this step you are testing the specificity of catalase. Do you expect to see a reaction from mixing hydrogen peroxide and water? No the reaction is missing an enzyme. For the reaction to occur, you must have both the enzyme and substrate present.
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