The Effect of Concentration of the Catalase

Categories: Chemistry

Essay, Pages 5 (1145 words)

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Abstract

The aim of this experiment was to investigate how the concentration of liquid catalase affects the production of oxygen gas in a chemical reaction with hydrogen peroxide. The concentration of catalase was varied by diluting it with water, and the amount of oxygen gas produced was measured using an oxygen sensor. The results showed that as the concentration of catalase decreased, the amount of oxygen gas produced also decreased. This suggests that the concentration of catalase has a significant impact on the rate of the reaction.

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The experiment was conducted with multiple trials to ensure reliability and minimize sources of error. The data collected was analyzed to calculate the mean and standard error, demonstrating the consistency and validity of the results.

Introduction

Enzymes play a crucial role in increasing the rate of chemical reactions in biological systems. Catalase is an enzyme that catalyzes the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) into water (H₂O) and oxygen gas (O₂). The concentration of catalase can be adjusted by diluting it with water, which can impact the rate of the reaction. In this experiment, we aim to investigate how changes in the concentration of liquid catalase affect the production of oxygen gas.

Materials and Methods

Materials:

Liquid catalase
Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)
Distilled water
Oxygen sensor
Conical flasks
Pipette
Measuring cylinders
Safety glasses

Experimental Procedure:

Prepare different dilutions of catalase by mixing it with distilled water in various ratios (e.g., 1:3, 1:6, 1:12, 1:24, 1:48).
Measure the concentration ratios carefully using a pipette and measuring cylinders to ensure accuracy.

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Wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from potential splashes.
Set up the experimental apparatus with a conical flask containing the catalase solution.
Place the oxygen sensor over the conical flask to measure the production of oxygen gas during the reaction.
Record the data, including the time taken to reach the highest point of oxygen production.
Repeat the experiment for each concentration ratio to ensure reliability.

Results

The following data was collected during the experiment:

Concentration of Catalase	Catalase:H₂O Ratio (ml)	Trial 1 Oxygen Gas Produced (%)	Trial 2 Oxygen Gas Produced (%)	Trial 3 Oxygen Gas Produced (%)
1:3	29.5	29.16	32.42	30.36
1:6	28.63	28.55	31.13	29.44
1:12	26.39	27.17	28.27	27.28
1:24	23.34	22.77	26.62	24.24
1:48	19.26	20.56	22.43	20.75

Processed Data:

When calculating the data, the mean was determined to be the most accurate measure of central tendency:

Calculation Example:

Mean of Oxygen gas produced for the ratio of 1:3:

(29.5 + 29.16 + 32.42) / 3 = 91.08 / 3 = 30.36%

Standard error for the average amount of oxygen produced for the ratio of 1:3:

Standard Deviation = 1.816

Standard Error = Standard Deviation / √3 = 1.816 / √3 ≈ 1.048%

Concentration of Catalase	Average Oxygen Gas Produced (%)	Standard Error for Average (%)
1:3	30.36	±1.048
1:6	29.44	±0.847
1:12	27.28	±0.545
1:24	24.24	±1.200
1:48	20.75	±0.920

Discussion

The data analysis revealed that as the concentration of catalase decreased, the amount of oxygen gas produced also decreased. This suggests that the concentration of catalase has a direct impact on the rate of the chemical reaction. The highest concentration of catalase (1:3) resulted in the highest production of oxygen gas, while the lowest concentration (1:48) produced the least amount of oxygen gas.

The standard error values calculated for the average oxygen production in each concentration indicate a range of uncertainty around the mean values. However, the standard errors are relatively small, indicating that the data is consistent and reliable. The results demonstrate that the experiment was conducted with precision and validity.

Evaluation

Limitations that were faced during the experiment include inaccurate measurement when measuring the catalase, hydrogen peroxide or distilled water. This can be caused due to an incorrect eye measurement being made when using the measuring cylinder. This then creates standard error for the measurements that may not apply to the measurement. When placing the gas sensor over the conical flask it would've have not been place on top at the very beginning, which implies oxygen wouldn't have been measured creating a false reading on the data logger. The time frame that was used on the data logger will limit the amount of oxygen to be measured. The maximum amount of time the data logger tracks is up to 5mins then stops the recorded. This affects the measurement of the highly diluted as the reaction takes longer to take place ending it at it 5 minutes will stop the data to keep on increase.

When commencing the practice trial, it was demonstrated that the catalase was limiting in the reaction. It was shown as all the concentrations produced the same amount of oxygen being produced.

Sources of error

Solutions to resolve and minimise these sources of errors that were found in the experiment consist of once the reaction has no increasing rate for the production of oxygen gas the experiment will end. This will limit any oxygen getting into the flask that it not form the reaction and help create less uncertainty in the data.

Another resolution to help create less uncertainty in the data is to double check the ratio of water to catalase being used with the reaction. When the hydrogen peroxide is limiting in the reacting not all of the catalase is being used within the reaction, creating data that will be the same throughout the data. When the catalase becomes the limiting substance in the reaction the results will vary throughout each concentration. This is due to the hydrogen peroxide producing the oxygen gas. When all of the hydrogen peroxide isn't limiting in the reaction then there will hydrogen peroxide will remain in the flask.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the concentration of liquid catalase has a significant effect on the rate of the chemical reaction with hydrogen peroxide. As the concentration of catalase decreases, the production of oxygen gas also decreases. This experiment provides valuable insights into the role of enzyme concentration in controlling reaction rates. The data analysis and calculations support the reliability and accuracy of the results, and the standard errors are within an acceptable range. Further investigations can explore additional factors influencing enzyme activity.

Suggested Improvements

The improvements that can be used to help minimise the amount of standard error are to use pipette to pour the hydrogen peroxide into the conical flask. By doing this is allows less time for the oxygen sensor to be put over the flask, due to the small size of the pipette. This stops any of the oxygen gas being produced to escape. To increase the accuracy of the findings for each of the types of concentrations, more trials can be conducted. By doing more trials this allows for any invalid data to be used in the calculations. When recording the data, instead of only recording the optimal amount of oxygen gas produced the time that it was recorded at could have been recorded. Including the time taken to reach the highest point will aid in demonstrating that the rate of reaction would have increased.