Environmental Factors Lab

Environmental Factors’ Effect on the Speed of Chemical Reactions Hypothesis: pH 8 solution will produce more oxygen during the chemical reaction than pH 3 because pH 8 is more basic and therefore would not denature the enzyme. Background information: The main function of all enzyme proteins is to act as a catalyst, speed up the chemical reaction and provide a place for it. The enzymes interact with specific substrates by combining at the active site of the enzyme. After this occurs the substrate detaches and leaves the active site as products, so the enzyme can become reusable to start the cycle all over again. The products of the chemical reaction are

Using a different syringe, get 0.2 mL of guaiacol and place in the test tube.
Shake the tube gently to mix.
To the other tube (Enzyme Tube), add 6.0 mL of distilled water.
Add 1.5 mL of peroxidase into the enzyme tube. Shake tube gently to mix.
Carefully pour one tube into the other, and shake gently.
Start timing the reaction.
For the next 5 minutes, record the observed data at each minute (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Use the chart to observe the color.

pH Procedure:
Making sure the materials are clean from previous experiment, gather all materials.
In the substrate tube, add 7 mL of distilled water, 0.3 mL of hydrogen peroxide, and 0.2 mL of guaiacol.
In the enzyme tube, use the dH2O syringe to load 6.0 mL of your pH solution. (Clean syringe by sucking distilled water and releasing the waste. Add 1.5 mL of peroxidase into the enzyme tube.
Combine these two solutions in one tube.
Shake gently.
Start timing reaction.
For the next 5 minutes, record the observed data at each minute (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Record data.
Use chart to classify color.
Repeat procedure with different pH.

Safety precautions:
One person holds the bottle when another uses a syringe to suck up the

The effectiveness was based on the color scale. The color scale was based on amount of oxygen produced by the chemical reaction.The chemical guaiacol was used during the experiment to easily see the speed of the chemical reaction because guaiacol turns brown in the presence of oxygen. On average the pH 8 had a color level of 6.17 more at the 5 minute check than pH 3. This is because the acidic pH 3 denatured the enzyme and it was not able to bind with the substrate to produce oxygen therefore there was less of it. Another factor that can affect the chemical reaction is temperature. It can affect the enzymes by changing their speed and at a certain temperature denaturing them.When enzymes and substrates are moving quickly, they are more likely to collide and have a chemical reaction. The warmer the temperature the faster the chemical reaction is to a certain degree. The chemical reaction was the most effective at 40 because the enzymes and substrates were moving fast, but the temperature was not high enough to denature the enzyme. After 40 degrees, the temperature increase became harmful to the chemical reaction. The color scale at 40 was 9.58 and at 50 the scale was 8.12. This shows at what temperature the enzyme begins to denature. Cold temperatures slow chemical reactions. At 10 degrees, the reaction occurred slower and this can be shown by the data. 40 was