Investigate the effect of changing conditions on the rate of reaction between Catalase (Celery) acid and Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2).

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Kieran Wood        Catalase and Hydrogen Peroxide _        27.11.2000

Mr Burns        Experiment

Aim:  To investigate the effect of changing conditions on the rate of reaction between Catalase (Celery) acid and Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2).

Method:  I will first set up the experiment as shown in the diagram. To make it safe I will keep everything tidy and then get out the safety equipment (goggles, apron). Then I will get the chemicals prepared in the right measurements, so I will not have to do that every time. To get catalase you have to use a pestle and mortar to grind up the celery with water to make a solution. Also I will prepare one large amount of the enzyme from the celery to make sure it is all the same.

             As soon as I mix the catalase and H202 I will put the cork connected to the delivery tube in the boiling tube and start the timer. I will make observations and after 50-70 seconds. I will squeeze the tube to prevent any more gas getting through as I record the results. As I complete each experiment I will plot a graph of the results.

Variables:  The variables are:

      Temperature

                      Concentration (catalase)

                      Concentration (H2O2)

                       pH of solution

These will all affect the experiment and results.

The temperature will affect the results because the higher the                         temperature the more energy the reaction has. Therefore the rate of reaction will be faster.

 The concentration of the catalase will affect the reaction because there will be more particles of acid to react with the hydrogen peroxide and the reaction will be faster. Or the other way round.

The pH of the solution will make a difference because if the pH is very concentrated the enzyme and substrate do not attract each other.

The variable I intend to investigate is the temperature at which the reaction takes place because enzyme activity is partially determined by reaction temperature. Therefore I will keep the other variables the same to make my results accurate.

To make my experiment a fair test, I will:

                

  • Use the same equipment for each test,
  • Use the same vessel for the reaction for each test,
  • Keep the quantity of catalase and hydrogen peroxide               the same for each experiment,
  • Use the same batch of the enzyme for each experiment,
  • Keep the pH of the chemicals the same each time,
  • Make sure the concentrations of chemicals the same,
  • Only change the temperature of the reaction.
  • Clean all vessels before use to clean out any unwanted chemicals, which may affect the result.

        The range of temperatures I will use for the experiment are         10-60oC. I will test below room temperature to study how lower temperatures effect the rate of reaction. The temperatures I will use are 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60oC.

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To get accurate readings I will first do a preliminary test to decide on a set of parameters to follow eg, the length of time the experiment lasts or the amount of catalase and Hydrogen Peroxide to use. If these parameters do not produce accurate results (eg, too much gas given off to record or reaction too fast to trap all the gas), I will change one of the parameters until the results can be recorded accurately.

Also, making a control experiment will show that there are no other contributors to the result. I will do the experiment with ...

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