Temp of room: 23 degrees C
Decreased temperature
1. zymeWhat is an enzyme? What is H2O2? Why does it need to be broken down? What
enzyme breaks it down? (Aleks)
a. An enzyme is a biological catalyst, which is protein in nature, and can speed up
the rate of a chemical reaction, without it being chemically changed at the end of
the reaction. H2O2 or Hydrogen Peroxide is naturally produced in the human
body as a defense mechanism that is produced from immune cells to kill
microorganisms. Catalase detoxifies hydrogen peroxide by turning it into less
toxic compounds of water and oxygen. Living things protect themselves from
hydrogen peroxide using this enzyme. Contact with hydrogen peroxide will cause
damage to anything it can react with, but the enzyme will slow down the process
by neutralizing the poison.
2. What do enzymes do? How do they work?(Josh)
a. Enzymes speed up reactions by lowering the activation energy needed to start
the reaction. They do this by binding substrates to their active site to form an
enzyme-substrate complex. Then the products are formed and they detach from
the active site, leaving the enzyme unused and the products finished.(Khan
Academy 2015) When a substrate binds to the active site, it can either fit
perfectly so that there are no adjustments needed, the lock and key model, or the
enzyme will slightly alter its shape so that the substrate fits in, the induced-fit
model(Cooper 2000).
Enzymes and the active site. (2015). Khan Academy. Retrieved January 17,
2022, from
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-biology/cellular-energetics/e
nzyme-structure-and-catalysis/a/enzymes-and-the-active-site
Cooper, G. M. (2000). The Central Role of Enzymes as Biological Catalysts.
NCBI. Retrieved January 17, 2022, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9921/
3. Where can we find them? What are some examples? (Anna)
Within the body, there are thousands of individual enzymes each with a single function.
These all fall into one of three subgroups: Hydrolases, Hydrogenases, and Oxidases (IAC
Corneotherapy, 2021). Cleveland Clinic (2021) stated that some of the most common enzymes
found in the digestive system are: carbohydrase that breaks down carbs into sugars, lipase
which turns fats into fatty acids, and protease that makes amino acids out of proteins. In saliva,
two enzymes can be found. These include amylase, to change starches into sugars, and
maltase, which breaks maltose into glucose (Medical News Today, 2018). WebMD (2022)
issued that eating certain foods can improve your digestion because they have natural enzymes
in them. Mangoes, bananas, and honey all have amylase. Avocados have lipase and papaya
has papain, which is a type of protease.
4. What is the variable tested? Describe it as it relates to enzymes. (Lauren)
The variable tested was a decrease in temperature during a reaction. When the
temperatures are low during a reaction, the number of collisions between the substrate and
enzyme that are successful is reduced. This is because their molecular movement decreases
and the reaction is slowed. Enzyme activity increases as the temperature increases meaning
that when there is a decrease in temperature, the enzyme activity decreases as well. If the
enzyme is at too low of a temperature, or too high, then the enzyme would not fulfill its role and
stop working. Enzymes work fastest at their optimum temperature.
This research led to the development of the hypothesis: If the temperature during a reaction is
decreased, then so will the amount of enzyme activity.