THE EFFECT OF VARYING ENZYME CONCENTRATION ON THE ACTIVITY OF THE ENZYME CATALASE

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THE EFFECT OF VARYING ENZYME CONCENTRATION ON THE ACTIVITY OF THE ENZYME CATALASE

Hypothesis

In the presence of catalase, the hydrogen peroxide will be broken down to oxygen and water. There will be an increase in the rate of the reaction as the enzyme concentration increases, but when the substrate (hydrogen peroxide) is limited in supply, increasing the concentration of the enzyme catalase will have very little or no effect.

Biological Background

My aim is to find out the effect of varying enzyme concentration on the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide to produce oxygen gas using catalase. I will find out the time taken and amount of oxygen gas produced at different concentration of catalase

Catalase is a common enzyme found in nearly all living organisms. Its functions include speeding up the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen. Enzymes work by forming a complex with a substrate molecule (in this case hydrogen peroxide) at a part of the enzyme called the active site.

The decomposition can be shown as;

2H2O2 2H2O + O2

Hydrogen peroxide is a toxic substance that can be formed during anaerobic respiration when glucose is oxidised to