Chloe Shehu

December 15,2016

Stem 2
PD 2

The Strength of Catalase

The scientific concept of this lab is how a specific enzyme reacts in a type of liquid. In
this lab we were testing how the catalase enzyme breaks hydrogen peroxide into water and
oxygen. We thought that if we added 400 mL of catalase instead of 100 mL, then the pressure
of the oxygen would increase at a faster rate because enzymes speed up chemical reactions.
Catalase Lab Procedure

1. _____all_____Check that you have all the equipment below.

Computer with Internet access and Vernier LoggerPro software

LabQuest Mini

Vernier Gas Pressure Sensor

Two-hole black rubber stopper (top)

Plastic tubing with Luer-lock connectors

20-200 L micropippetor set to 100 L

micropipette tips

50mL graduated cylinder

125 mL or 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask

Magnetic stirrer

Stirring bar

Thermometer

Metal clamp stand

At the central table:

Hydrogen peroxide

Catalase enzyme suspension

2. ____all______Check that every person is wearing apron and goggles.

3. ____all______Check that everyone who will touch the enzyme or liquids is

wearing thick latex gloves (blue and yellow gloves)

On the blank lines, write the initials of the teammate who completed the task:

4. __________Open your laptop and open Logger Pro .

5. __________Click File Open and open the folder in Biology by

Vernier. Then choose 06 Enzyme (Pressure).

6. __________Connect the LabQuest Mini to the computer using the USB

cable, and connect the Gas Pressure Sensor to CH 1 of the LabQuest Mini.

Set up the laboratory apparatus as seen in the picture:

7. __________Measure out 50mL of 1.5% H2O2

and pour into an Erlenmeyer flask.

8. __________Carefully place a magnetic stir bar in

the flask.

9. __________Place the flask on a magnetic stir

plate. Use a clamp to fasten the flask to the ring

stand as shown. Position the flask at the center

of the magnetic stirrer.

10. __________Test the stirrer at 100 rpm.

11. __________Stop the stirrer.

12. __________Use the plastic tubing with two Luer-

lock connectors to connect the two-hole rubber

stopper assembly to the Gas Pressure Sensor as shown in the image. The

valve connected to the stopper should stay closed during this investigation.

Its closed when its flat, parallel to the floor

Complete all the steps below quickly to complete your test reaction.

13. __________Start data collection: click green Collect button on Logger Pro.

14. __________Using two micropipettes, add 400 L of enzyme suspension to the

contents of the flask.

15. __________IMMEDIATELY tightly seal the flask by placing the stopper in and

HOLDING it in carefully.

16. __________IMMEDIATELY Turn the stir plate on to 100.

NOTE: If the pressure exceeds 130 kPa, the pressure inside the flask will be

too great and the rubber stopper will likely pop off. HOLD DOWN the

stopper or be ready to have uncovered chemicals on your desk

WAIT 200 seconds (3.3 minutes) while data is

collecting- Do NOT click STOP. Data collection will automatically stop

after 200 seconds.

17. __________Turn off the stir plate.

18. __________Carefully remove the stopper from the flask to relieve the

pressure.

19. __________Use a thermometer to test and record the temperature of the

liquid in your lab packet

20. __________Pour all chemical waste into a RED bucket.

21. __________Remove the magnetic bar.

22. __________ Dispose of your used micropipette tip.

23. ___all_______Take off your safety gear and place it neatly away.

24. Observe the graph generated using LoggerPro software (example shown

below).

25. Hold down Control on the keyboard and press j to zoom in the graph.

26. Highlight the section of the graph where the slope is increasing, by clicking

and dragging your mouse across it.

27. Click the Analyze tab at the top of the page, and choose Linear Fit. A

statistics box will appear for your highlighted section of the graph.

28. Record the slope of the line, m, as the rate of catalase activity in kPa/s in

your lab packet (page 13)

29. Click File, Save As, and save with the file name:

(Your Names) Sam, Anabel, Jenni, Jose Control Trial Logger Pro Data

Email the graph to Ms. Lenowitz by following these final steps!

30. Click File and choose Print Graph. In the drop down menu of printers, choose

Cute PDF Writer in the drop down list. This will export your graph as a

PDF file. Be patient- it takes a few seconds to pop up.

31. Save the PDF with the this file name:

(Your Names) Sam, Anabel, Jenni, Jose Control Trial Data PDF

32. Open your MESA email and Compose a new email to

glenowitz@mesacharter.org

33. Attach the PDF to the email.

34. Press send!

Our results did not support our original hypothesis because the rate of reaction was
lower than the control experiments rate of reaction. The data showed the rate of reaction trend
starting very high, then dropping to then become constant. The slope that best fits this graph is
kPa/min = 1.6. The results don't make sense because enzymes are supposed to speed up the
chemical reactions. But in these results the reaction decreased when we added more of the
enzyme.

This experiment couldve used some improvement due to some mistakes that were
made. My group started collecting our data too late causing the line to start from the top,

changing the slope. We should have been more focused and attentive to retrieve the most
accurate data possible.