Enzyme Lab Report This Study

Enzyme Lab Report

This study details basic analysis of the factors that commonly impact the effectiveness of enzymes. The factors lab include oxidization, inhibitors, and substrate specificity. The final portion of this study evaluates the effects of denaturization due to the enzyme's exposure to heat. Included in this study is a comprehensive chart (chart 1) that shows the effectiveness of enzyme activity at various temperatures and over time in minutes.

Enzymes are proteins that are vital to any and all chemical reactions. In the human body, nearly all cellular processes depend on enzymes to function properly (Smith, 1997). Enzymes are specialized proteins, however, and require certain triggers in order to function. These triggers, known as oxidase, trigger the enzyme to bond with other proteins and complete the necessary functions. For instance, most enzymes require a certain amino acid in order to properly bond and react. Additionally, enzymes have a particular specification for the substrate necessary for optimal reaction. Most substrate requirements deal with pH level, but temperature can also be an issue, depending on the enzyme (Silverman, 1995).

The purpose of this study is to determine what factors are required for certain enzymes to react with solutions. Factors such as oxidase, inhibitors, substrates, and temperature will be studied and conclusions drawn based on the enzyme's reaction to these changes.

Results

Experiment 1: Experiment one was conducted to observe the chemical reaction that occurs when a catechol oxidase and a catechol are combined. The theory was that the separation of electrons would result in a visual color change as evidence that the oxidase was correct for the particular enzyme. If the enzyme oxidase was not correct, then there will be no color change because enzymes require a specific oxidase to work. In this case, a reaction took place resulting in the division of electrons from the catechol. The visual result was a color change from colorless to brown. This confirms that the correct oxidase was used for the experiment.

Experiment 2: Experiment two was conducted to observe the effects of an inhibitor on the catechol oxidase activity on a solution. The theory was the if the solution was a competitive inhibitor, there would be a visual change in the solution different than the first experiment. If the solution was a non-competitive inhibitor, there would be no change because the oxidase is completely inhibited from reacting with the catechol. Here, phenythiourea was added as a non-competitive inhibitor. The reason it was non-competitive was because there was no visual change in the solution even when the added solution concentration was doubled. Thus, there was no actual chemical reaction and the catechol was prevented from reacting.

Experiment 3: Experiment three was conducted to measure the effect of temperature on chemical reactions of enzymes. The theory is that heat increases the reaction time allowing the enzyme to react more efficiently that in colder temperatures. During this experiment, four test tubes with 2 ml of starch and 5 ml of water were combined and set to the following temperatures: 4 degrees Celsius, 24 degrees Celsius, 37 degrees Celsius, and 80 degrees Celsius the chemical reaction in this experiment will be considered successful when the starch in the test tubes is completely used up and the solution becomes colorless. Below (chart 1) shows all the lab results and there is an explanation of each test tube following.

Chart 1

Ice Bath Test Tube

The first test tube was placed in an ice bath and the temperature lowered to 4 degrees Celsius, or just above freezing. The theory is that the enzyme will be less efficient in this solution that in the other solutions. For this part of the experiment, the ice bath test tube produced a slow reaction. The solution started out as blue/black at T=0. There was no further change observed until T=3 minutes where the solution began turning a lighter color. At T=4.5 it changed to amber and began to lighten. At T=8.5 it changed to clear and the starch was used up.

Room Temperature Tube

The second test tube was allowed to maintain a room temperature of 24 degrees Celsius the room temperature tube had an almost instant reaction at T=.5 minutes. By T=1 minute, the solution had lightened significantly. At T=1.5 minutes, the starch was degraded and the solution was clear. This was by far the fastest reaction.

80 Degrees Celsius, Hot Water Bath

The first hot water bath solution was brought and maintained at a temperature of 80 degrees. The theory is that this test tube should react even faster than the previous test tube because of the added heat. At T=1.5 minutes, the solution was black. At T=2.5 minutes, the solution changed to blue. After that point, the solution no longer reacted. The starch failed to fully degrade which meant that the enzyme failed to complete the process.

100 Degrees Celsius, Hot Water Bath

The second hot water bath solution was brought and maintained at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius at T=.5, the solution was black. The solution was failing to change, so an additional drop was added at T=2.5. By T=3 the solution changed to purple and by T=5.5 the solution lightened to blue. The solution failed to further convert the starch from that point forward.

Discussion

Enzymes are a type of protein that speeds up natural processes. Enzymes cannot react on their own, but require a substrate in order to properly react (Smith, 1997). Enzymes are very specific and will only react when combined with the proper substances. Otherwise, the enzyme remains inactive (Jaeger, 2004). Enzymes are so helpful, in fact, that many manufacturers now use them to break down or activate processes. For instance, the enzyme trypsin is used in baby food to predigest the food for the baby (Jiang, 2008).