Enzyme Lab

1. Enzyme Lab 6 test tubes with spinach, potato, MnO2, chalk, raw liver, cooked liver

2. The substrate: hydrogen peroxide • Hydrogen peroxide is toxic to cells • Produced as a waste product during the reactions that occur in the body. • Body needs way to remove it quickly so cells don’t die • H202 ---> H2O + O2. The products water and oxygen are not harmful. • Body can remove it quickly with enzyme called CATALASE. CATALASE changes H202 into water and oxygen.

3. The substrate is hydrogen peroxide It is what is being changed. It starts off as Hydrogen peroxide It becomes Water and Oxygen

4. The Enzyme is Catalase Catalase is an enzyme found in all living things (catalase is found in spinach, potato, raw liver, cooked liver) Catalase speeds up the breakdown of Hydrogen peroxide so cells don’t die. Catalase is the same before the reaction as after. It does not change

5. So what effect does heat have on enzymes? Raw liver has not had heat added to it, so it works at its best Cooked liver has been in heat, so the enzymes that were in the liver were denatured, that means they were weakened. They don’t work as well.

6. So is MnO2 an enzyme? NO!!! MnO2 is an inorganic catalyst. That means it is man made and it speeds up reactions. There are two types of catalysts: 1) Enzymes (found in living things, made of protein, example is catalase, protease, lipase) 2) Inorganic catalysts- man made such as MnO2