Investigation to find out the rate of reaction using catalyst.

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Assad Taj

Investigation to find out the rate of reaction using catalyst

I am doing an investigation on rates of reaction involving catalysts.

        Enzymes are proteins that act as catalysts. They are made in the cells. A catalyst is a chemical substance, which speeds up a reaction but does not get used up during the reaction. One enzyme can be used many times over.

Enzymes and biological catalysts are affected by the change in temperature and pH. If the temperature is too low the catalysts work too slow, but if the temperature is too high the catalysts will denature and stop working. Different enzymes work in different pH levels. If the pH is not at the right pH level for that enzyme, the enzyme will not work at its best potential. For example, the protein-digesting enzyme in your stomach works well at an acidity of pH 2. At this pH, the enzyme amylase, from the saliva, cannot work at all. The pH or temperature at which an enzyme works its best is called its optimum pH or temperature.

        Enzymes are needed to maintain life. Without enzymes the proteins, carbohydrates etc would not be broken down. Therefore no proteins, carbohydrates etc would enter our bloodstream. Which basically means we wouldn’t be able to survive.

        There are many different types of enzymes. Each different type of enzyme has a different function or job. So if one type of enzyme broke down starch to maltose, this type of enzyme would not be able to break down proteins to amino acids. Also, if a reaction takes place in stages a different enzyme would be needed for every stage. The substance on which an enzyme acts is called its substrate.

        As explained above, the rate of an enzyme-controlled reaction depends on the temperature and pH. It also depends on the concentrations of the enzyme and its substrate. The more enzyme molecules produced by a cell, the faster the reaction will proceed, provided there are enough substrate molecules available. Similarly, an increase in the substrate concentration will speed up the reaction if there are enough enzyme molecules to cope with the additional substrate.

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        I am going to find out how fast or slow a reaction will go according to how dilute or concentrated the catalyst is.

        I am going to make the method safe by always wearing safety glasses at all times to protect my eyes from the catalysts.

        In this investigation for my catalyst I will use some celery, which will be mashed up so the surface area of it is increased, therefore the reaction will be faster.

Equipment

  • 100ml gas cylinder.
  • Clamp.

   

Method

  1. Set up equipment.
  2. Mash some celery using a motar ...

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