Enzymes Virtual Lab

Today you will be learning about enzymes and their role in chemical reactions.
Go to the website:
http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/labbench/lab2/intro.html. Read
the page and then click on next.
1. What is the function of an enzyme?

Enzymes catalyze reactions by lowering the

activation energy necessary for a reaction to occur.
2. What is a substrate?
The molecule that an enzyme acts on.
3. What happens to the enzyme and the substrate during a chemical reaction?
In an enzyme-mediated reaction, substrate molecules are
changed, and product is formed. The enzyme molecule is
unchanged after the reaction, and it can continue to
catalyze the same type of reaction over and over.

4. What does it mean by enzymes being specific?

The molecules that an enzyme works with are called substrates. The
substrates bind to a region on the enzyme called the active site.
There are two theories explaining the enzyme-substrate interaction.
5. What does catalase do? Use the terms substrate and product in your response.

It catalyzes the decomposition of hydrogen

peroxide to water and oxygen.

6. How can you tell that catalase has been added to hydrogen peroxide?

The catalase enzyme causes the hydrogen peroxide to break down.

This reaction forms water and oxygen. The bubbles are oxygen gas.

7. What are enzymes?

A substance produced by a living organism that acts as a

catalyst to bring about a specific biochemical reaction.
8. Why is the active site specific for only one type of substrate?

The basic mechanism by which enzymes catalyze chemical reactions begins

with the binding of the substrate to the active site on the enzyme. The active
site is the specific region of the enzyme which combines with the substrate.

9. Draw a schematic model of an enzyme.

10. What happens when a substrate with a different shape from the active site
tries to enter the active site?

Both components' shape will have to slightly alter to

be able to maintain the lock and key mechanism.

11. What are 2 important influences on enzymatic activity? What happens when
these factors are significantly altered?
1.

2.

PH level.
Temperature

12. Provide 2 examples of enzymes and the pH of the environment in which it

works.

If the state of ionization of amino acids in a protein is altered then the ionic bonds
that help to determine the 3-D shape of the protein can be altered. When the pH
changes, the active site progressively distorts and affects enzyme function.

13. Describe the effect of temperature on enzyme function.

The rate of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction

increases as the temperature is raised.
14. Click on
http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/advanced_placement/mader10e/v
irtual_labs_2K8/labs/BL_02/index.html. In this experiment you will determine the
effects of substrate concentration and pH on the initial rate of an enzyme-catalyzed
reaction.
15. What is different in people who suffer from lactose intolerance when compared
with normal individuals?

Normal individuals break it down into two monosaccharides, people who are
lactose intolerant don't have enough lactose enzyme to break down the lactose.

16. Read the objectives and procedures. Click the monitor and watch the video
about enzyme action. Summarize the video.

It talks about how the substrate bonds onto

the catalyst in the active site. This causes a
chemical reaction that has the product of
another enzyme.

17. Conduct the experiment based on the directions specified under procedures. In
test tube 1, adjust the pH to 3; test tube 2, adjust the pH to 5; test tube 3, leave
the pH at 7; test tube 4, adjust the pH to 9 and in test tube 5, adjust the pH to 11.
Add 0.5 g of substrate in each of the 5 test tubes.
18. Why was 0.5g of substrate added to all of the tubes instead of varying amounts
of substrate?

To see if the original amount would affect the amount increase or decrease.
19. What is the independent variable in this experiment?

The grams of lactose added to the tubes of ph levels.

20. What is the dependent variable in this experiment?

Number of molecules of product formed per minute.

21. Record the data in the data table and in the data table below and repeat the
experiment again using the 1.0g lactose. Record your results in the data table and
the table below. Repeat the experiment again using 2.0g lactose. Record the data in
the data table and in the data table below. Repeat the experiment again using 4.0g
lactose. Record the data in the data table and in the data table below. Repeat the
experiment again using 8.0g lactose. Record the data in the data table and in the
data table below.
Amount of
substrate
0.5g
1.0g
2.0g
4.0g
8.0g

pH3

pH5

pH7

pH9

pH11

19
39
82
96
96

39
81
168
198
198

72
145
300
350
350

45
91
189
223
223

24
49
103
121
121

22. When your online data table is complete, click on graph. Draw the graph in
the space provided below or attach a copy of the graph to this assignment.

The Baiboard wouldn't work for me. Ask Jenna

for it, she was my partner.

23. What does your data indicate about the optimum substrate concentration for
this lactase-catalyzed reaction?

It starts to peak at the ph level of 7.

24. What does your data indicate about the optimum pH level for this lactasecatalyzed reaction? The highest and lowest amount of ph levels have the least

amount of molecules of product formed per minute.

25. People with lactose intolerance are able to take products such as Lactaid that
contain the lactase enzyme with their meals. These products can be taken in pill
form. Considering the fact that the pill form of the enzyme would have to travel
through the person's stomach, what special consideration would the producer of
this product need to be concerned about?

They have to make sure they take

the pill before they eat their meal.
26. Explain why the maximum initial reaction rate cannot be reached at low
lactose concentrations.

If the amount is too small, then it doesn't have enough

to break down. If it has too much, then it breaks down
all of the way so that there isn't enough left.
27. Describe the relationship between substrate concentration and the number of
glucose and galactose molecules formed during the first minute.

The highest and lowest amount of ph levels have

the least amount of molecules of product formed
per minute.
28. Describe the relationship between pH and the number of glucose and galactose
molecules formed during the first minute.

The median numbers produce the

highest levels, that is where it peaks.