An enzyme is something that helps to speed up a chemical reaction. The enzyme changes from reaction to reaction, but it always has the same impact. However, certain variables may cause the enzyme to have a more or less significant impact on the speed of each reaction. One of these variables that changes the effectiveness of an enzyme is temperature. There is an optimal functioning temperature for each enzyme in each reaction, depending on the desired change in speed. For some, this temperature is higher, and others lower. However, once this optimal temperature has been passed, the enzyme becomes less effective. A good comparison for the impact of temperature would be running. There is an optimal temperature at which every runner runs. If it is too hot or too cold, the runner may not run as fast as they could if it were, for example, 10 °C. However, the reason temperature impacts enzymes in that matter is due to kinetic energy. As the temperature increases, the kinetic energy also increases. At the optimal temperature, the molecules are moving as fast as they can without breaking bonds. If the speed is surpassed, bonds begin to break and the enzyme becomes less effective.
The purpose of this lab is to test the effects of different variables mixed with the reaction of hydrogen peroxide and yeast, yeast being the catalase. The variables that will be changed are temperature, pH, and concentration.
Our class began a lab based around enzymes and how they react when different variables are changed, such as temperature, pH, and concentration of the yeast or hydrogen peroxide. The yeast acted as the enzyme, which produces catalase needed for our desired reaction with the hydrogen peroxide. What had to be wanted to measure was how well it reacted when the variables were .
changed. First off, the class needed to find a way to measure this. After you told us that the reaction would give off oxygen gas, it was realized that the oxygen being created in the reaction could displace water to measure how much oxygen gas is being given off.
