Enzyme Catalysis; Designing and Conducting Your InvestigationName:

You now have the basic information and tools needed to explore enzymes in more depth on your own. In this part of the lab, you will do just that. You will have the chance to develop and test your own hypotheses about enzyme activity. To help you get started, read the following questions, and write your answers in your laboratory notebook.

1. In Procedures A through D, was the limiting factor of your baseline reaction the enzyme or the substrate? How could you modify the procedure you learned to answer this question?

2. What are three or four factors that vary in the environment in which organisms live?

3.Which of those factors do you think could affect enzyme activity?

4.How would you modify your basic assay to test your hypothesis?

Other Opportunities for inquiry using catalase include:

  • Varying the enzyme or substrate concentration
  • Varying the pH or temperature
  • Varying the catalase source among the yeasts, liver, wheat germ, or bacterial sources

Design and conduct an experiment to investigate an answer(s) to one of the questions above or another question that might have been raised as you conducted Procedures A through D. Remember, the primary objective of the investigation is to explore how biotic and abiotic factors influence the rate of enzymatic reactions.

Make sure you use the lab Test Rubric to make sure you include the necessary parts of your investigation.

Include a copy of your experiment plan and mini science fair poster in your lab notebook.

Present your Data in a mini science fair poster with the following headings:

INTRODUCTION
The introduction has three parts:
1) The question asked,
2) Background context—where does this question fit with what is known, and
3) Your hypothesis presented in an “If…then” prediction that structures your research.
QUESTIONS: BACKGROUND: HYPOTHESIS: / TITLE and AUTHORS
The title should describe the work to the reader.
Include the variables that are manipulated and the author(s) / DISCUSSION
What do your results mean when you consider the original question or hypothesis?
Point out the significance of your results.
If the results are unexpected or contradictory, you should attempt to explain why and point out possible avenues for further research.
ABSTRACT
The abstract is a one or two paragraph condensation of the entire article giving the main features and results of the work described more completely in the poster. / RESULTS
Describe the results clearly.
Use TABLES,
CHARTS and
GRAPHS to help clarify the results.
Include a discussion on the statistics you use to describe or test your data.
Save any conclusions for the DISCUSSION
METHODOLOGY
This section should include three sections in sufficient detail so that others can repeat your research.
PROCEDURE: MATERIALS: STATISTICAL TESTS: / LITERATURE CITED
Include all published works mentioned in your presentation. List in bibliographic form.