Matthew Page

SNHU Bio
November 4, 2015
Title: Enzyme Lab
Abstract: In this lab we tested the effect of temperature on the reaction of catalase and
H2O2. For our experiment we used 4, 30 ml beakers heating and cooling them to various
temperatures. We brought the beakers to Body temp (37 degrees C), Boiling (96 degrees C),
Room temperature (22 degrees C), and Freezing (4 degrees C). The room temperature beaker
was used as a control because we knew that the enzyme would react with the H2O2 because of a
prior experiment. Using squares of cheesecloth we put them in the appropriate catalase.
Following that we put the cheesecloth into the bottom of the 30 ml of hydrogen peroxide timing
the cheesecloth till it reached the top. This experiment showed that 4 degrees C actually made
reaction between the catalase and H2O2 much faster. While heating the catalase completely
denatured the enzyme making it completely non- reactive.

Introduction: Our experiment was designed to see the effect temperature of the catalase
on the reaction between the substrate and the enzyme. My hypothesis stated; Body temperature

will react the quickest, followed by room temperature. While I said freezing and boiling the
catalase will ultimately denature the enzyme. This would mean that the H2O2 does not react with
the catalase at all. We already knew that at room temperature the enzyme would not be denature
and the catalase would react with the H2O2. An enzyme is proteins that speeds up reaction time
in a living organism. Many things were discovered about how a much temperature can affect the
reaction time of the enzyme with the substrate. A substrate is the surface in which the bacteria
lives. The Substrate and the enzyme combine at the active site. The active site is a region on the
enzyme that binds to a protein or other substance during a reaction. The enzyme active site forms
a complementary shape to the substrate after binding.

Material and Methods:

Materials:
8 Beakers
6 Potatoes
120 ml of 100% Concentration Catalase Extract
120 ml of Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2)
Hot Plate

 Tweezers
Thermometer
2 Sheets of Cheesecloth
Procedure:
1. Make potato extract
2. Put 30 ml of potato concentration into 4 beakers.
3. Heat beaker 1 to body temp (37 C)
4. Heat beaker 2 to boiling (100 C)
5. Leave at room temp (22 C)
6. Place beaker 4 in freezer for 15 minutes until (4 C)
7. Get 4 beakers of 30 ml H2O2
8. Decide who will watch the stopwatch/clock; who will watch the rising disk, and
who will manipulate the disk.
9. Dip the disk into the room temperature potato concentration for 5 seconds,
10. Put the disk into the hydrogen peroxide and record how long it takes for the disk
to reach the top.
11. Repeat 3 times

Results:
Temperature

Trial 1 (Sec)

Trial 2 (Sec)

Trial 3 (Sec)

Average (Sec)

Body Temp 37 C 7.67

7.43

11.47

8.86

Boiling 96 C

Denatured

Denatured

Denatured

Denatured

Room Temp 22
C

6.02

6.43

5.07

5.84

Freezing 4 C

4.36

3.50

5.10

4.32

Conclusion: After the experiment it was proved that my hypothesis was incorrect. I had
said that a freezing temperature would denature the enzyme and make for no reaction at all.
Instead the reaction time of the frozen catalase was fast than all of the rest of the temperatures. I
was also wrong in saying that body temperature would be the quickest body temperature was
behind room temperature. The data showed that as the temperature of the catalase went up
reaction time went down.

References:
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/molecu1.htm