Kara Choate

11/05/2015
Enzyme Lab
Abstract:
This lab is to determine the reaction rate is between potato juice and hydrogen
peroxide. We were able to test how fast the potato juice will react with different peroxide
solutions. When testing each solution three different times, we noticed that the time is
quicker when the filter paper disk is mixed with the most hydrogen peroxide. All of the
materials we needed were used. We decided to test this lab with hydrogen peroxide and
mix it with water because we were interested in seeing if the results would be different
from mixing the potato juice and water with pure hydrogen peroxide.
Introduction:
In this lab we were going to study the catalase and see if it will break down its
substrate which is the hydrogen peroxide. Without the catalase Hydrogen Peroxide
could kill the cell. It will demonstrate the relationships between the enzyme
concentration and the effect of the chemical reaction rate. We will then see if the
catalase has a quicker reaction with less hydrogen peroxide or with more hydrogen
peroxide.
Problem:
How does different substrate concentrations affect the rate and time of a reaction?
Hypothesis:
I thought that the concentration of the 100% would have the quicker rate of reaction
than the other concentrations. I thought this because the more Hydrogen Peroxide the
quicker it will react with the catalase.
Materials:
Blender
Knife
Potatoes
Potato Juice (30mL)
Beakers (5) 100mL
Hydrogen Peroxide
Tweezers
Graduated Cylinder (100mL)
(1) 400mL beaker with 200mL of distilled water
Cheese Cloth
20 Small pieces of filter paper
Stop Watch
Paper towels
Procedure:
To make the potato concentration:
Take three potatoes and cut them up into small pieces.

Once their cut, put them in the blender and add enough distilled water to cover
the potatoes.
Turn the blender on high and wait for the potatoes to be blended.
Take a beaker and put a square of Cheesecloth over it.
Pour a little bit of potato juice on the cheesecloth and have it strain into the
beaker.
Once you have enough potato juice you pour what you need in a beaker
Grab five 100 mL beakers and pour Hydrogen Peroxide in one and mix with
distilled water to make it 20%
Add distilled water to the peroxide in another beaker to make it 40% solution
Keep adding a little more peroxide in the next beaker to make it 60%
The next solution would be 80% with 60% of peroxide and 20% water
The last solution is 100% which would have more peroxide than water
Label the beakers 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%,100%
Take the tweezers and pick up a filter paper disk
Dunk the disk in the potato juice for five seconds
Take the disk out and blot it on a paper towel both sides for 1 second
Put the disk in the 20% mixture and time it until the disk reaches the top of the
surface
Repeat this step for each solution 3 times

Results:
Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Average

20%

14.9

15.4

12.2

14.7

40%

8.6

10.4

10.9

9.97

60%

9.2

8.5

9.1

8.93

80%

7.8

7.9

6.8

7.5

100%

8.1

5.5

6.4

6.67

Conclusion:
These results support my hypothesis because I predicted that the disk would have the
quicker time would be when it was in the 100% solution. It has the quicker time in this
solution because the enzyme reacts with the concentration quicker because there is a
lot more of the peroxide than there is in the other beakers.