Name: __________________________ Class: _____________________ Date: _____________________

The Effect of Temperature on Catalase Activity

Pre-Lab Questions
1. What is an enzyme? 2. What type of macromolecule is an enzyme? 3. What do enzymes do? 4. Where is catalase found? 5. Give the formula of hydrogen peroxide. Define it as an atom, molecule, element, and/or compound. 6. Draw the electron diagram and structural formula of hydrogen peroxide. 7. What type of chemical bonds are found in hydrogen perioxide? (Covalent, ionic, hydrogen) 8. How strong are the bonds in hydrogen peroxide compared to the other types? 9. Write and balance the reaction that catalase speeds up. Include the state of matter for all the reactants and products. What type of reaction is this?

Procedure
10. Design an experiment to test the effects of temperature on the activity of the catalase enzyme, as found in potatoes. 11. Describe in numbered steps what your group did. Write the instructions so another person could follow them.

Data
12. Construct a data table to show the class data collected in this experiment. 13. Make a line graph using the class data. The independent variable (temperature) goes on the x-axis, while the dependent variable (volume of gas produced) goes on the y-axis.

Conclusion
14. What temperature was optimal for catalase, according to the class data? 15. What happened to the enzyme at 100C? 16. At boiling, the enzyme permanently changes shape. How does enzyme shape affect function? 17. How reliable are these results? Describe one possible source of error experienced by your group. 18. What other variables could affect enzyme function? Hypothesize the effect of each.

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