The Effect of pH on the Activity of Catalase

The Effect of pH on the Activity of Catalase

Secondary resources: from my research I carried out, I have learnt

that:

Catalyse is an enzyme that is found in foods such as potato and liver.

Catalyse speeds up the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into water

because the shape of the hydrogen peroxide molecule. This type of

where a molecule is broken down into smaller pieces is called an

anabolic reaction. This enzyme catalysis is the breakdown of hydrogen

peroxide and it forms oxygen gas and water.

Enzymes are very large and complex organic molecules that are

synthesized by the cell to perform very specific functions. These

biological catalysts are important because they speed up the rate of

the reaction they catalyze that would otherwise be too slow to support

life. Catalyse is an enzyme present in the cells of plants, animals

and aerobic bacteria. It promotes the conversion of hydrogen peroxide,

a powerful and potentially harmful oxidizing agent, to water and

molecular oxygen.

Catalase is located in a cell organelle called the peroxisome.

Peroxisomes in animal cells are involved in the oxidation of fatty

acids, and the synthesis of cholesterol and bile acids. Hydrogen

peroxide is a by-product of fatty acid oxidation. White blood cells

produce hydrogen peroxide to kill bacteria. In both cases catalase

prevents the hydrogen peroxide from harming the cell

itself.Peroxisomes in plant cells are involved in photorespiration and

symbiotic nitrogen fixation (the breaking apart of the nitrogen

molecule N2 to reactive nitrogen atoms). Hydrogen peroxide is produced

as an intermediate during these chemical processes and must be removed

to prevent damage to cellular machinery. Aerobic (oxygen requiring)

bacteria produce hydrogen peroxide as a by-product of metabolism. This

fact is used when identifying bacteria. If hydrogen peroxide is added

to a bacterial colony and bubbles are produced, this is evidence of

oxygen production and confirms that the colony is aerobic.

The activity of catalase can be measured by finding the rate at which

the oxygen gas is released from the decomposition of hydrogen