DATASHEET FOR PRACTICAL 1

EXPERIMENT 1: THE FASTEST ENZYME CATALASE

Table 1.1: Catalase reaction

Test tube containing
Cube of liver
Ground liver
Boiled liver
Cube of kidney
Ground kidney
Boiled kidney
Cube of potato
Ground potato
Boiled potato

Observations
Wooden splinter lighted up
Wooden splinter lighted up
Wooden splinter does not
light up
Wooden splinter does not
light up
Wooden splinter light up
dimly
Wooden splinter does not
light up
Wooden splinter does not
light up
Wooden splinter does not
light up
Wooden splinter does not
light up

Oxygen present
Present
Present
Absent
Absent
Present
Absent
Absent
Absent
Absent

Questions
1. How can you increase the rate of catalase reaction by using the same liver?
The rate of catalyse reaction can be increased by increasing the surface area of the
liver.
2. How does the temperature affect the catalase reaction?
As the temperature increases, the enzyme reaction increases until it reaches the higher
temperature which is above the optimum temperature and the enzyme denatured.
3. Discuss your experiment result concerning the three samples used.
i)

Using liver:
Test tube containing liver in grounded and cube formed lighted up the wooden
splinter when it placed inside the test tube with hydrogen peroxide. This
shows that there is a present of oxygen and the enzyme catalase breaks down
hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. However, the rate of enzyme
catalase also is affected by the temperature. Boiled liver does not react with
hydrogen peroxide because the heat above the optimum temperature will
denature or destroy the protein, so a boiled liver sample has denatured catalase
proteins which can no longer perform their metabolic function.

ii)

Using kidney:
The rate of enzyme catalase reaction is affected by the surface area of the
kidney. That is the reason why, the wooden splinter does not light up for the
cube kidney because there is no oxygen produced and the surface area of the
cube kidney is smaller than the surface area of the ground kidney. Ground
kidney lighted up the wooden splinter reacting with the hydrogen peroxide to
produce oxygen and water. Boiled kidney does not react with hydrogen
peroxide because the protein has been denatured at temperature of 100 .

iii)

Using potato:
The potato contains less of the enzyme catalase, therefore requires more
activation energy slowing down the rate of reaction. That is why, the wooden
splinter does not light up and no oxygen is present compared to liver and
kidney.

EXPERIMENT 2: THE USE OF ENZYME SOFT CENTERED CHOCOLATE

Table 1.2: Benedict test

Test tube
1
2
3

Benedict test
Colour of blue Benedict solution remains
the same
Colour changes to brick-red precipitate
Colour of blue Benedict solution remains
the same

Result
Non-reducing sugar
Reducing sugar
Non-reducing sugar

Questions
1. What has the invertase done?
Invertase is a carbohydrate-digesting enzyme that splits sucrose into its
component parts, glucose and fructose.
2. Fructose is a reducing sugar what test could you do on Tubes 2 and 3 to find out
if a reducing sugar is present?
Benedicts test.
3. In which test tube do you expect to find fructose? Explain your answer?
Test tube 2 has invertase which functions to convert sucrose to glucose + fructose.
Therefore, fructose can be found in test tube 2.
4. What is the difference between sugar cube covered with chocolate and sugar cube
in test tube.
The presence of chocolate acts as catalyst in breaking down of sucrose in sugar
cube.