To investigate the effect of pH on the ability of Catalase to breakdown Hydrogen Peroxide.

To Investigate The Effect of pH on the ability of Catalase to breakdown Hydrogen Peroxide

Nature Of Problem

NO2 and SO2 are dissolved in water in air to form nitric and Sulphuric acid decresing the soil pH. When water enters the crop as it is acidic it can affect catalase.

Hypothesis

The optimum activity will be at pH7,the activity should decrease on either side of the optimum.

Prediction

The catalase should work best at neutral pH tht is pH7,there it should have optimum activity. As pH curves are symmetrical it should decend on either side of the optimum. Changing the pH will break the bonds in the enzyme. The active site will then lose its specific shape and substrates will no longer be able to bind with it and react. Changes in pH may also change the charge of the R groups in the active site.

Background Info

Changing the pH will break the bonds in the enzyme. The active site will then lose its specific shape and substrates will no longer be able to bind with it and react. Changes in the pH may also change the charge on the R groups, decreasing the affinity between substrate and the active site. Enzymes are globular proteins. Enzymes lo9wer the activation energy barrier of an reaction making it possible for more molecules to react under pH. The only aspect that enzymes change is rate of the reaction. All enzymes have an optimum pH at which its activity is maximal. Each amino acid making up a globular protein has a specific iso-electric point at which it carries no charge. The charges on amino acids cause attractive and repulsive forces within the globular protein and these help to give rise to tertiary structure. The active site is also charged. This is a result of the R groups of amino acids in the active site. Changes in pH may also change the charge of the R groups, decreasing the affinity between substrate and active site involves specific hydrogen and ionic bonds between enzyme R groups and the substrate. Each enzyme will only operate efficiently over a very narrow pH range. The optimum pH of different enzymes varies greatly depending on the environment in which they are to be used.