To determine how rate of reaction is affected by the surface area of the potato upon adding hydrogen peroxide to it and whether the surface area of the potato affects the height of the froth.

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Biology Coursework

Aim: To determine how rate of reaction is affected by the surface area of the potato upon adding hydrogen peroxide to it and whether the surface area of the potato affects the height of the froth.

Background: Catalase, an enzyme used for removing hydrogen peroxide from the cells, which can be found in potatoes, decomposes hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. It is an anabolic reaction, meaning that it is broken down into smaller pieces.

Catalase is produced by the cells of the body, and the froth it creates when you add hydrogen peroxide to the cell is because it turns the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen gas. The bubbles that are created in the reaction are made up of oxygen. This happens in cells that have been cut, hence the reason the potato reacts upon cutting it up into pieces.

Hypothesis: The enzyme and substrate would only come into contact when they are both in the same place, which in this case would be the surface area of the potato. I think that the larger the surface area the more bubbles it will make and the higher the froth which we will