Lesson Starter 1 What is a catalyst 2












- Slides: 12

Lesson Starter 1. What is a catalyst? 2. What effect do catalysts have on the input energy required for a reaction to happen? 3. What is special about a catalyst that makes it very useful?

Enzymes

Inside our bodies • 64, 000 red blood cells on the head of a pin • All cells in our body carry out millions of chemical reactions • total number of chemical reactions in the human body is about 400 billion per second every second of your life.

Biological Catalysts • Biological catalysts ensure that the reactions are happening fast enough to keep us alive • Biological catalysts are called ENZYMES • Enzymes speed up the rate of BIOCHEMICAL reactions

Hydrogen Peroxide • What does hydrogen peroxide break down into? • What chemical test can we carry out to prove the hydrogen peroxide is broken down?

Experiment • Living things contain Enzymes • We can prove this through a simple experiment involving the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide

Apparatus • Test tube rack • 4 test tubes • Bunsen burner • Wooden splint • Hydrogen peroxide • Fresh liver • Cooked liver • Fresh potato • Cooked potato

Experiment 1. Light the Bunsen burner and leave it on Fresh the safety flame liver 2. Add a small volume of hydrogen peroxide into each test tube 3. Add the fresh potato into the test tube and watch for bubbles 4. Test for oxygen using a glowing splint 5. Record your results 6. Repeat (3 -5) for the cooked potato, the fresh liver and the cooked liver Cooked Fresh potato liver Hydrogen peroxide Cooked potato

Results Test Tube A- fresh liver B- cooked liver C- fresh potato D- cooked potato Oxygen produced? Catalyst Present?

Conclusion • Which tissues did you see bubbles being produced with? • What do those tissues contain? • Which tissue produced more bubbles?

Conclusion • Hydrogen peroxide broke down into water and oxygen when fresh liver and fresh potato was used • Fresh potato and liver contain enzymes • Liver cells produced more bubbles

What enzyme? • Liver cells have a high concentration of the enzyme CATALASE • Catalase is an enzyme that speeds up the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide • Potato cells also contain catalase (but not as high a concentration)