(a) (i) What is meant by an enzyme?
An enzyme is a biological catalyst that speeds up chemical reactions in living organisms without being consumed in the process - Leaving Cert Biology - Question 7 - 2007
Question 7
(a) (i) What is meant by an enzyme?
An enzyme is a biological catalyst that speeds up chemical reactions in living organisms without being consumed in the process.... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:(a) (i) What is meant by an enzyme?
An enzyme is a biological catalyst that speeds up chemical reactions in living organisms without being consumed in the process - Leaving Cert Biology - Question 7 - 2007
Step 1
What is meant by an enzyme?
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Answer
An enzyme is a biological catalyst that speeds up chemical reactions in living organisms without being consumed in the process. Enzymes are typically proteins that lower the activation energy of reactions, thereby increasing the rate at which they occur.
Step 2
Give an example of a protein that has a structural role.
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Answer
An example of a protein with a structural role is keratin, which is found in hair, nails, and the outer layer of skin.
Step 3
Name the enzyme that you used.
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Answer
One enzyme that I used is amylase.
Step 4
Name the substrate of the enzyme.
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The substrate of amylase is starch.
Step 5
State one factor that you kept constant during the investigation.
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One factor that I kept constant during the investigation was the pH level of the solution.
Step 6
How did you keep this factor constant?
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I kept the pH constant by using a buffer solution.
Step 7
How did you vary the temperature?
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I varied the temperature by placing the reaction mixture in water baths set to different temperatures.
Step 8
How did you measure the rate of activity of the enzyme?
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I measured the rate of activity of the enzyme by observing the time taken for starch to be broken down, indicated by a color change using iodine solution.
Step 9
What was the result of your investigation?
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The result of my investigation showed that the enzyme activity varied with temperature, with the highest activity occurring at an optimal temperature of around 37°C.
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