What are 'Enzymes'?

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Introduction

Enzymes are biological catalysts that carry out thousands of chemical reactions that occur in living cells. They are a class of proteins that have a unique three dimensional structure that allows it to bind with a specific substrate to facilitate a

reaction. Many biological reactions will not occur spontaneously in the cell; there is simply not enough energy for the reaction to take place. Enzymes make these

reactions possible by lowering the reaction’s activation energy. Each cell has tens of thousands of different enzymes that collectively allow both the break down and synthesis of molecules to drive all cellular processes.

This investigation will explore the effect of pH on the three-dimensional structure of a protein. Much of the three-dimensional structure of an enzyme is held together by

weak interactions including H-bonds, ionic bonds, and hydrophobic interactions.

These interactions can be easily disrupted by changes in temperature, salt

concentration, and pH. pH levels out of the normal intracellular range would

denature enzymes, slowing the enzyme’s reaction rates.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a toxic chemical that is continually being formed as  

By product of reactions in peroxisomes of living cells. Since it is poisonous, the cells

must either get rid of it or change it to something nonpoisonous. If they cannot do

this, the cell may die; catalase solves this problem. The enzyme catalase is found in animal and plant tissues, and is especially abundant in plant storage organs such as potato tubers, corns, and fleshy part of fruits. Catalase reacts with the H2O2 to form water and oxygen:

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2H2O2 + Catalase → 2H2O + O2 + Catalase

What is Catalase?

Enzymes are very large and complex organic molecules that are synthesized by the cell to perform very specific functions. These biological catalysts are important because they speed up the rate of the reaction they catalyze that would otherwise be too slow to support life. Catalase is an enzyme present in the cells of plants, animals and aerobic (oxygen requiring) bacteria. It promotes the conversion of hydrogen peroxide, a powerful and potentially harmful oxidizing agent, to water and molecular oxygen.

2H2O2 to 2H2O + O2

Catalase also uses hydrogen ...

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