Charlie Stewart

AP Biology
Lee A Period
26 Oct 2015
Enzyme Lab Analysis
1. Attached
2. As both enzyme and substrate concentration increase, the reaction rate
increases. In the case of enzyme concentration the increase was dramatic when going
from 1 mL -> 3 mL -> 5 mL, with each increase in concentration raising the reaction rate
by roughly .65 substrate metabolized per second. The substrate concentration also
influenced the reaction rate, with a roughly linear effect on the reaction rate. The
substrate concentration did not affect the rate as much as enzyme concentration,
though, with an increase of 0.88 M concentration only yielding a .35 increase in
substrate metabolized per second.
3.
Systematic Error

Description

Impact on the class

average value

Oxygen sensor zeroing

Not letting the oxygen

sensor zero its sensor for
long enough

lower overall
measurements and
distance between
measurements, causing
lower average values

Incorrect amount of
substrate

Not accurately measuring

the amount of Hydrogen
Peroxide used, using the
top of the liquid instead of
the dip in the center to
measure the volume.

Less substrate leads to a

lower overall reaction rate.

Individual Error

Description

Impact on the class

average value

Forgetting to put stopper

on

Not putting the oxygen

sensor onto the flask while
the reaction is taking place

the reaction will be going at

a slower rate when the
sensor is actually put on,
causing a lower reaction
rate to be measured.

Wrong section of graph

Using a section of the

the reaction rate will be
graph toward the beginning higher, as the reaction
of the reaction, when the
always starts out a bit fast
rate has not yet stabilized

4. Analyze the errors:

a. The controls had a wide range of reaction rates. The enzyme

concentration control of 3 mL ranged from .57 to 2.1 substrate metabolized per
second. The substrate concentration control of 0.441 M had an even wider
range, going all the way from .81 to 3.7 substrate metabolized per second.
b. The most glaring outliers in the data tend to appear towards the
upper parts of the range, where issues with using too much enzyme or substrate
concentrations could dramatically increase the reaction rate. Additionally, the
non-linear nature of the enzyme concentration graph indicates that there are
inconsistencies in that data.
i.
Using too much substrate
1. This would speed up the reaction,
causing a larger average reaction rate
ii.
Using too much enzyme solution
1. This would also speed up the
reaction, causing a larger average reaction rate
iii.
Measuring a later part of the reaction
1. This could mean that you measure
too shallow of a slope, causing a smaller increase than expected.
c. The variations do impact the conclusions we can draw from this
experiment. In a perfect data curve, the enzyme concentration vs reaction rate
should be a linear function, but due to experimental error the data seems to imply
a cutoff in reaction efficiency. This should not be the case, as the students should
be measuring an area of the graph where the reaction rate is linear.
5. Predict the effect that temperature might have on enzyme reaction rate,
assuming you used the same methodology as our lab.
a. My hypothesis is that as the temperature of the solution increases,
the reaction rate will increases up until the enzyme denatures, at which point
there will be a dramatic decrease in average reaction rate.
b. Controlled variables:
i.
Substrate concentration: If too much is used, there
will be a bottleneck in the reaction, lowering the average reaction rate.
ii.
Enzyme concentration: If too much is used, the
substrate will be consumed much quicker, raising the average reaction
rate.
c. Attached.
d. I expect to see these results because we know that the enzymes
in our body work fastest at higher temperatures, as our body is much warmer
inside that the outside world. Since enzymes are proteins, though, they can be
denatured, permanently rendering them useless.