Catalase Lab

molecules produced per unit time). In order to do so, enzymes bind temporarily to one or more reactants, lowering the amount of activation energy needed and thus speed up the reaction. Most of the cells use an enzyme called catalase to reduce the amount of hydrogen peroxide, a toxic substance that could accumulate as a result of normal cell activity. The purpose of this experiment was to observe the effects that enzyme concentration and copper (II) sulphate would have on the rate of reaction. This experiment was divided into two parts: Part A and Part B. In Part A, students would observe the effects of enzyme concentration on the rate of reaction. They were required to make six solutions with different concentration of catalase, the speed of

For example, in 20% catalase concentration, the reaction rate was 2.48 mm/s; then in 40% catalase concentration, the reaction rate was 2.75 mm/s; lastly in 100% catalase concentration, the rate of reaction was .84 mm/s. The reason why the increase of catalase concentration would lead to the increase of the reaction rate was due to the Collision Theory. Collision theory is a theory used to predict the rate of chemical reaction, especially for gases. The theory is based on the assumption that for one reaction to occur, it is necessary to have reactant collide with one another. A collision that could produce chemical change would be effective only if the reaction brought together possess a certain amount of internal energy, which is equal to the activation energy of the reaction. Nonetheless, the colliding reactions must be oriented to suit the necessary rearrangement of atoms and electrons. Therefore, according to the collision theory, the rate of a chemical reaction is equal to the frequency of effective collision (collision theory, 2014). In Part A, the rate of reaction increases as the concentration of catalase increases. The more particles of the catalases are added per mL in the solution, the more likely the collision would occur. Since the collision between particles increases, the rate of reaction thus

However, the results were not precise and accurate enough due to some experimental errors and human errors. First, the identicalness of test tubes. The interior of the test tubes were not the same and thus even though the measurement of the hydrogen peroxide and copper (II) sulphate were made precisely and accurately, the volume may differ. This contributed to countless of minor errors thorough the experiment, affecting the precision and accuracy of the result. The volume added should be weighed on the electronic balance every time after substance being added to obtain the most accurate results. Second, human eyes were not precise enough when it comes to analyzing measurement, such as determining the volume of solution in a graduated cylinder. Even when the solution was observed in an eye-level, it was not guaranteed that it was analyzed perfectly, hence it is suggested to let computers instead of humans to do such things in order to get the most accurate results. Third, the filter-paper disc did not always sink to the bottom of the test tube even with the aid of tweezers. It was because the catalase that was absorbed into the filter-paper disc started reacting with the hydrogen peroxide automatically. This might greatly affect the results as the rate of reaction was dependent of the measurement of distance travelled. It was suggested to coat a thin layer of protect for the filter-paper