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TITLE: ENZYMES
AIM: To investigate the effects of pH on the enzyme catalase in potato tissue
APPARATUS/MATERIALS:

Graph paper
Tile
10 discs of potato tissue 1.0mm thick
One 5cm3 syringe
Glass rod
Scalpel
Forceps
5 test tubes
Stop watch
Buffers solution with the pH 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0 and 8.0
6% Hydrogen peroxide

PROCEDURE:
1. The graph paper was placed on the tile and the potato on the graph paper. Using a scalpel
ten discs of potato tissue were cut into about 1.0mm thick discs by cutting across the
cylinder.
2. Two discs were placed into each of the small beakers provided, which contained buffer
3.

solutions of the following pH: 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0 and 8.0.
A 5cm3 syringe was used to put 5cm3 of the buffer solution at pH 4.0 into the test tube

with 5cm3 of hydrogen peroxide.

4. Using a glass rod the contents of the test tube was stirred.
5. A pair of forceps was used to place one of the discs from the beaker with the buffer
solution at pH 4.0 into the test tube.
6. As soon as the disc reached the bottom of the tube the stop watch was started.
7. As soon as part of the disc started to lift off the bottom of the tube the watch was
stopped. The time was recorded.
8. The disc was removed and placed into the waste beaker.

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Step 5 was repeated with the second disc from the beaker containing buffer solution at

pH 4.0. The time was recorded as before.

10. From step 3 was repeated with the remaining discs using the remaining buffer solutions
and clean test tubes for each pH.
11. A graph was drawn to show the rate or reaction from the results obtained.
RESULTS:

pH

TIME TAKEN FOR DISC TO RISE / seconds

4.0
5.0
6.0
7.0
8.0

1st Disc
78
62
41
30
50

2nd Disc
82
70
52
46
66

Mean
80
66
47
38
58

RATE
1/t
0.0125
0.0152
0.0213
0.0263
0.0172

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DISCUSSION:
Enzymes are said to be biological catalyst. A catalyst is a substrate which is used to
speed up a chemical reaction while remaining unchanged itself. Enzymes are
protein molecules made by living cells. They are used within the body in many
chemical reactions. A typical human cell contains several thousand enzymes.
Enzymes are vitally important because in their absence reaction in the cell would be
too slow to sustain life. A substrate is the chemical on which an enzyme works on. A
short lived enzyme/substrate complex is formed when an enzyme combines with a
substrate. The greater the proximity of the enzyme with the substrate in the
complex increases the chances of the reaction speeding up. Upon completion it then
breaks into products and enzyme. At the end the enzyme remains unchanged and
goes back with another substrate to break it down. Enzymes has many properties
such as; All are globular proteins, being proteins they are coded for DNA, They are
catalysts, their presence does not alter the nature or properties of the end
product(s) of the reaction, They are very efficient this means that even a small
amount of catalyst can make a big difference in a large amount of substrate, they
are very specific this means that each substrate has a particular enzyme which will
work on it, The catalyzed reaction is reversible, There rate of reaction is affected by
pH , temperature, substrate concentration and enzyme concentration.
ph plays an important part in the rate of reaction of an enzyme. This is because
different enzyme works better at different pH some enzymes prefer an acidic pH,
some prefer a basic pH and some prefer a neutral pH. Also if an enzyme is not in the
right pH it will first start to slow down and after a period of time it will become
denatured and will no longer carry out any function.
Temperature also plays an important part in the rate at which an enzyme functions.
Just like pH enzymes prefer particular temperatures an if this is not given to the
enzyme then it becomes denatured a slowly stop it functions.
Substrate concentration also affects the rate of reaction. If the substrate is more
than that of the enzymes presents then the reaction will take a longer time to be
completed this is because one enzyme can work on one substrate at a time. On the
other hand if the substrate concentration is less than that of the enzymes
concentration then the reaction will take a shorter period of time to be completed.
The enzyme concentrations also affects the rate of reactions this can be affect if the
substrate is more than enzymes the reaction will be slow but if the enzymes
concentration is greater than the substrate concentration then the reaction will be
completed in a short period of time.
However before any reaction can start and activation energy must first be obtained.
Activation energy is the energy required to be overcome before the reaction can
proceed. A catalyst works to reduce the activation energy that is needed. This in
turn speeds up the reaction without altering the temperature at which it occur.

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Also each enzyme is specific it as a particular substrate on which it works on.

Enzyme are so specific that it is said by Fischer in 1890 that its a lock and key
effect. The amount of product form during a period of time or the amount of
substrate changed during a period of time is known as the rate of enzyme reaction.
In this experiment the effect of pH was observed. It was observed in this experiment
that in an very acidic solution it was slow then less acidic it was faster an when it
was neutral it went back to a slower reaction. This clearly show that a very acidic
solution is not perfect pH for this particular enzymes. The most suitable pH was
observed to be a pH of 6.

CONCLUSION:
From this experiment it can be concluded that pH affects the rate at which
enzymes react.