Procedure

 

Catalase is an enzyme that works very rapidly. It is found in several organs and tissues, including the liver, where its role is to speed up the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water.

Hydrogen peroxide is a by-product of meabolism and is toxic, so its rapid conversion to water is therefore important.

 

1) Collect nine small pieces of liver.

2) Place three in a beaker half filled with water and boil strongly for 5 minutes.

3) Place three in a mortar with a little sand and grind with the pestle.

4) Label the test tubes A,B and C and place 5 mL of hydrogen peroxide and 3 drops of detergent into each.

5) Place the fresh liver into tube A, the ground liver into tube B and the boiled liver into tube C.

6) Record the height of the bubbles produced in each test tube.

7) Record any further observations.

 

This was what we had to do for an experiment a few days ago. I have recorded what was observed and made my own deductions as to why certain things happened at different rates. However, I would like to see what most people would have thought to check if what I think is consistent.

Incidently, has anyone done a similar experiment to this?

 

Feel free to ask more questions about the experiment if addtional information is required to form your own conclusions.

 

Note: I also have a practical report to do on this. And there will be questions for me on the above experiment today...so if anybody wants to help...you have six hours from now!

Edited March 11, 200916 yr by Voltman

I like your enthusiasm, but I think learning to work with your peers is just as important as learning about liver enzymes themselves.

 

Anyway, it's hard to answer "why certain things happened at different rates" without knowing what "things" happened. Of course I could simply assume what you'd observed, but I could just as well assume a lot of other things.

Hey voltman, i responded to your msg, you have practically an experimetn exactly the same! EXACTLY THE SAME!!! as i had two days ago. I have a sac on it on monday... what are the chances. U do year 12 bio right? Anyway...

if u see my thread on the matter, i kinda listed stuff that i thought was relevant to the prac... although by your means of time, im too late telling you this...