Enzymes And Rate of Reactions

Enzymes are proteins that increase the rate of reaction. Catalase breaks down hydrogen
peroxide into H2O and O2. The rate of reaction is affected by the amount of enzyme that is
used. If more enzyme is used then the rate of reaction will increase because the enzyme will
break it down faster.
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. ___DH___Open your laptop and open Logger Pro .
5. ____YJ______Click File Open and open the folder in Biology by
Vernier. Then choose 06 Enzyme (Pressure).
6. ____EL______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. _____EL_____Measure out 50mL of 1.5% H2O2
and pour into an Erlenmeyer flask.
8. ____YS______Carefully place a magnetic stir bar in
the flask.
9. ____YJ______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. _____YS_____Test the stirrer at 100 rpm.
11. ___DH_______Stop the stirrer.
12. ______YJ____Use the plastic tubing with two Luerlock 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. ____EL______Start data collection: click green Collect button on Logger Pro.
14. ___YJ_______Using a micropipette, add 100 L of enzyme suspension to the
contents of the flask.
15. _____DH_____IMMEDIATELY tightly seal the flask by placing the stopper in and
HOLDING it in carefully.
16. ____DH______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. ____YJ______Turn off the stir plate.
18. ______DH____Carefully remove the stopper from the flask to relieve the
pressure.
19. _____YS_____Use a thermometer to test and record the temperature of the
liquid in your lab packet
20. ____YS______Pour all chemical waste into a RED bucket.
21. ____DH______Remove the magnetic bar.

22. _____YJ_____ 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!

My overall results do not support my original hypothesis. On the first trial graph, the line
increases and then goes constant but on the second trial graph, the line decreases and drops
down and keeps changing. The results make sense because I think that if you use less enzyme
it will break down hydrogen peroxide quicker since it can travel faster.
During our experiment we messed up three times but then we did it correctly. We started
the experiment without adding the enzyme. The second time we didnt start taking data when
the magnet was spinning and the third time we didnt take the temperature. We can improve the
experiment by doing more trials and making sure we check everything off after weve done it.