What Affects Enzyme Activity? Lab
Period
Introduction
Bio I, Ms. D
occur Enzymes are biological catalysts that help to carry out the thousands of chemical reactions that
In an in living cells. They are generally large proteins made up of several hundred amino acids
enzyme. catalyzed rea
the substance to be reacted, the substrate, binds to the active site of
The enzyme then converts the substrate to products. Finally, the products are released
into and the enzyme is ready to help with another As is of any catalyst, the
enzyme is not used up as carries out the reaction recycled again and again. One enzyme
molecule can carry out thousands of reaction cycles every minute
Each enzyme is specific for a certain reaction be
its amino acid sequence is unique and
causes it to have a unique three-dimensional structure. The "business" end of the enzyme molecule, the
active site, also
has specific shape. Because the active site is so specific it will only bind with one kind
a af molecule
An enzyme can be denatured
unfolded) by extreme heat, pH, or ionic concentration. If this happens
he enzyme longer be functional because the shape of the active will be destroyed
will no In this exercise you will study the enzyme catalase, which speeds up the breakdown of hydrogen
peroxide, H2O2, (a common waste product of
cellular metabolism) into water and oxygen.