Turnip Peroxidase Lab Report

Enzymes are a form of protein that lowers activation energy and speeds up reactions as a catalyst. They are made by the stringing together of an abundant amount of amino acids and folded into a specific shape for chemical reactions. Turnip Peroxidase is the enzyme used in this lab and is derived from the vegetable. Enzymes are not used up or permanently altered by their environment Peroxidases are found in a range of organisms and function to break down alcohol (H2O2) and creates byproducts of oxygen and water. In this experiment, the reducing agent guaiacol is added with the substrate, hydrogen peroxide, to create water and oxygen. The enzyme of turnip peroxidase is added in the equation to catalyze the oxidation.

Objectives
The objective

The objective of this lab was to determine the best pH level to increase enzyme activity. As this objective was met, it was discovered that water (pH level 7) was the best for percent absorbance. The hypothesis for this experiment was, “If peroxidase is an enzyme and therefore contains certain pH tolerances, then when placed in solution with pH levels of three, seven, and ten and the reaction is measured by a colorimeter, then water will be the optimal solution for maximum reaction rate.” As seen in the tables and graphs, the data supported the hypothesis due to the fact that most enzymes have an optimal pH of 4-9. Although it was expected for water to be the optimal pH, it was also assumed that more drastic activity would happen with the other pH’s. For example, it was thought that it would still have some noticeable increase; however, when looking at the data and the graph, the numbers oscillate with no noticeable positive or negative trend. Tables 1 and 2 show that the absorbance rate in comparison to the absorbance rate in Table 3 are significantly smaller. Furthermore, after calculating the processed data for reaction rates and looking at the graph, pH 7 water had the highest rate. This experiment gives a good insight for future references about enzymes and the effect of environmental factors and its functions. By completing this experiment, knowledge collected about optimal pH in enzymes will help

As had doing the baseline prior to changing the pH with a drastic qualitative and quantitative data change, seeing no color change and slope in the graph was concerning. However as multiple trials were completed and results were compared to other classmates, more confidence arose in the results as the numerous trials with similar results ensured validity. If there were things that could have been done differently, more precision and caution would have been taken whilst doing the lab; for example: re-reading the lab before beginning and taking time while measuring out solutions. The experiment had a few errors due to human error as well as random ones. For example, in one trial, distilled water was gathered through the hydrogen peroxide pipetter, creating a chance of error due to the cross-contamination of solutions. Additionally, in the initial attempt at the experiment, it was believed that cuvettes 2 and 3 needed to be put through the colorimeter before mixing together in the 4th cuvette, when in reality they did not need to be. A random error would be that there was a logger pro used the second day as there was no go link present as it had been the previous