The Effect Of pH On Invertase Activity.

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The Effect Of pH On Invertase Activity

Introduction

Invertase is an enzyme which is usually found in plants. It acts as a catalyst for the hydrolysis of sucrose. (Campbell&Reece,2002) Sucrose is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose linked by a glycosidic bond. When this bond is cleaved in a hydrolysis reaction, an equal amount of glucose and fructose. Invertase is a significant enzyme because glucose is an important product of photosynthesis. Invertase is also used in the confectionery industry where fructose is preferred over sucrose because it is sweeter and does not crystallize easily.

The reaction is shown as follow:

Enzymes are affected by changes in pH. (Campbell & Reece, 2002) Extreme pH values generally result in loss of activity for most enzymes. Furthermore, there is a most favorable pH for enzyme – the point where the enzyme is most active. This point is known as the optimal pH. The aim of this experiment is to find out the range of pH which invertase is effective.

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Method

This experiment was based on the premise that activity of invertase will be affected by different pH. Benedict solution was used as an indicator to determine whether the invertase had been denatured or not. If invertase was not denatured, glucose and fructose were produced. Benedict solution then would react with glucose and change its colour from blue to red. Oppositely, Benedict solution would not change colour since denatured invertase was not able to catalyze the hydrolysis of sucrose to produce glucose.

5 test tubes were collected and labeled (2, 4, 7, 9 , 11) with a water ...

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This report of an investigation into the effect of pH on invertase activity adequately describes the method carried out and briefly discusses the results obtained. However, to obtain the higher grades at GCSE, the report needs to follow the tried and tested science investigation structure with sections on hypothesis, control variables, risk assessment and evaluation, all of which were missing here. In particular, practical science must start with a hypothesis, i.e. something to test, which is based on observations and prior knowledge. Similarly, an evaluation of the data collected is vital in order to assess the validity of the data, i.e. its worth so that other scientists can accept or reject the writer's findings. 3 stars