Investigating the effects of Sodium Hydroxide concentration on Catalase

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Investigating the effects of Sodium Hydroxide concentration on Catalase

I will be investigating the effects of Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) concentration on catalase, which is an enzyme. This would be done by use sheep liver as it contains catalase, and mixing it with different concentration of Sodium Hydroxide which is an alkaline, and then adding 10% of Hydrogen Peroxide to get the reaction going as catalase promotes the conversion of hydrogen peroxide. This is because catalase has a pH of 7 normally and where Sodium Hydroxide is an alkaline over time it will lose hydrogen ions to the solution and therefore decreases enzyme active. This investigation is to test the rate of reaction of catalase and Hydrogen Peroxide under different alkaline concentration of Sodium Hydroxide condition.

Therefore I predict that as you increase the concentration of Sodium Hydroxide you will decrease the enzyme active, as this is because catalase in a alkaline solution loses hydrogen ions, which changes the produced of the chemical bonds of the enzyme molecule causing a change in the shape of the enzyme, cause the active of it to decrease, or in other words you denature the enzyme. This is likely to happen in the higher concentration of sodium hydroxide, where in the lower concentration due to it being less alkaline, more to the pH of catalase the lose of it hydrogen ions will be less or slower cause a increase in the rate of reaction. Therefore I also predict that my graph will look like this, having a fast reaction at the start but then slowing down till it stops.

The apparatus that I would need to carry out this investigation would be,

Gas syringe,

Sheep Liver,

Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH),

Hydroxide Peroxide (2H2O2),

Camp stand,

Stop watch,

Mortar and pestle,

Conical flask,

Tile,

Scalpel,

Scales,

Distilled Water,

Measuring tube and

A bit of sand

     

I believe that using these apparatus will give me the most relevant and relievable results to prove my prediction right.

They why in which I will use these apparatus is that, I will use the scalpel to cut the liver in to manageable sizes so that I can put the small pieces in to the mortar and pestle to grind up the liver to it is like a liquid, and therefore more manageable to use the same amount each time. After of which I will take the Sodium Hydroxide of 1M to make my other concentration that I need, this will be done by putting 10cm³ into a container, then using this I will be able to make my after concentrations, by for my 0.1 M I will take 9 cm³ of distilled water and 1 cm³ for the 1m concentration to make my 0.1M, I will do the same for my 0.01M 9cm³ distilled water and 1cm³ for my 0.1m, and for my 0.001M 9cm³ distilled water and 1cm³ from 0.01M concentration, andthen for my 0.0001M 9cm³ distilled water and 1 cm³ from my 0.001M, and these will be the 5 concentration that I will be using. I will add my1gram of liver into the conical flask then add one of my concentration of Sodium Hydroxide, I will use 2.5 cm³ of NaOH for each experiment, these two will not react, then I will add my 10% volume of  Hydroxide Peroxide, only 2.5cm³, which as a catalyse to the reaction causing it to start. Then putting on the cap on the flask so the gas is collected in the gas syringe and starting the stop watch at the same time, and taking a reading every 5 seconds. The gas that will be produced and collected will be oxygen. I will also repeat each experiment for each concentration at least three so that I get an average and so that it will make my results more relievable.

What will I do once I have collected all my results, well I will first put them into a table showing what I got for each concentration on each try, the to take an average for each of my concentrations to put into a graph. One in a graph I will draw a line of best fit for each concentration to make it easier to read and highlighting any anomalies.

To make my investigation a fair test and a controlled experiment, I make sure of the following things, that I will use the same amount of liver each time at 1 gram, also that I will use the same amount of sodium hydroxide and hydroxide peroxide at 2.5cm³ each time, I will repeat each experiment at least three times, to take a reading every 5 seconds. I will be controlling the amount I will use each time and the times I will taking readings. The only thing that will not be the same throughout my experiment is the different concentration that I will be using.

The reaction of sodium hydroxide and hydroxide peroxide is

NaOH + H2O2=  Na2O2

The chemical in which I will need for my experiment are Sodium hydroxide at different concentration and 10% hydroxide peroxide, in which the precaution that I will have to take will these two chemical is that sodium hydroxide is corrosive meaning that if I was to get any on my hands I should wash it right away. Also with the hydroxide peroxide it is oxidant and corrosive, so if get any on my hand wash it off right away, and that it was can a domestic use as bleach, bleaching human hair turing it blond and it also burns the skin on contact. I will aslo wear gooles to protect the eyes, and any near me should be awaer of the fact of what I am using, as if these two chemical come in contact with the eye it can cause binlness.

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I have found out though that these chemical can damage the enviroment it is safe to wash them down the skin once used as these will be low concentration and they will dilyted with water which weakens it effect a lots, so therefore they will are damage to the envionement nor pose any threat to the envionement.

Before I did my main experment I did a preliminaly test to found out the concentrations od sodium hydroxide will give me the best reslts, and how much of it to use, this is the same as the hydroxide peroxide ...

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