David Giansanti Rima Shah

November 18, 2013

Biology 1H Block 2
The Effect of Catalase on Hydrogen Peroxide
Objective:
This lab was important to see how enzymes in the body broke down toxic chemicals into
harmless substances. Additionally it was imperative to figure out which foods contained catalase
and how temperature affected the outcome. The bubbles that were produced were an indication if
a food had catalase. The bubbles were made of oxygen and according to the chemical equation
2H
2
O
2
-->2H
2
O + O
2
oxygen gas is the result of the presence of catalase. The hypothesis I created
was If we test four foods for the presence of catalase then raw liver and raw beef are going to
contain catalase.
Materials:
In this lab a wide range of chemicals was used. For foods liver, raw ground beef,
cucumbers, sugar was used. Two pieces of liver, raw ground beef and cucumber was used while
only one packet of sugar was used. Additionally five milliliters of hydrogen peroxide was used
for every piece of food tested resulting in approximately 35 milliliters of hydrogen peroxide
total. Safety equipment worn was eye goggles, an apron, and gloves.

2

Equipment:
In this experiment one graduated cylinder was used, one thermometer was used, and four
test tubes in a test tube rack was used.
Procedure:
1. There are four types of lab stations: food station, liquid station, cleaning/disposal station,
and student stations. Each group will have their own lab station. Students are not to
disturb other students or their stations. Students are to wear the safety equipment at all
times.
2. One lab partner goes to the food material station with two test tubes to get the same
material of their choice into each test tube. The lab partner then returns to their lab
station. The other partner goes to the liquid station with the graduated cylinder and
measures five mL of room temperature hydrogen peroxide. The student returns to the lab
station.
3. One student puts the thermometer into the graduated cylinder and records the initial
temperature on their handout. The other student puts the food test tubes back into the
rack. After the temperature of the graduated cylinder has been recorded, a student pours
all five mL of H
2
O
2
into one food test tube. One student then makes observations in the
handout of the chemical reactions in the test tube.
4. When the material stops bubbling, take a new temperature reading and record on the
handout.
3

5. One student goes back to the liquid station with the graduated cylinder and refills five mL
of cold hydrogen peroxide. That student returns to the lab station and performs the same
experiment with the cold hydrogen peroxide in the second test tube.
6. Procedures 2-5 repeats until all food substances are tested and recorded.
7. One student takes the test tube rack with the test tubes and cleans with a brush and soap
and water. The other student takes a paper towel and cleans their lab station. Student
returns the test tubes to their labs station once cleaned.

Observations/Data:
Table I: Various Temperatures of Materials
Material Starting Temp
Celsius
Highest Temp
Celsius
Change in
Temperature
Raw Liver 20 30 +10
Raw Liver- Cold H
2
O
2
22 27 +5
Raw Ground Beef 19 20 +1
Raw Ground Beef- Cold H
2
O
2
22 20 -2
Raw Cucumber 20 20 0
Raw Cucumber- Cold H
2
O
2
20 20 0
Sugar 22 21 -1


4

Table II: Bubble Activity for Each Material
Material Bubble Activity Observations
Raw Liver 4 Many bubbles
Raw Liver- Cold H
2
O
2
5 Overflowed
Raw Ground Beef 3 Not as much
Raw Ground Beef- Cold H
2
O
2
3 Fizzes
Raw Cucumber 1 Minimal
Raw Cucumber- Cold H
2
O
2
1 Some
Sugar 0 Very few, almost nonexistent


Analysis and Calculations:
Example of change in temperature calculations:

Final temperature initial temperature = change in temperaure
30 - 20 = + 10

20 - 22 = -2

5


10
1
0
-1
5
-2
0
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Raw Liver Raw Beef Cucumber Sugar
Room Temperature H2O2
Cold H2O2
C
h
a
n
g
e

i
n

T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

(

C
e
l
s
i
u
s
)

Food Material
Graph 1: Change in Temperature
When H2O2 Is Added
4
3
1
0
5
3
1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Raw Liver Raw Beef Cucumber Sugar
Room Temperature H2O2
Cold H2O2
Graph 2: The Bubble Activity of Each Food Material
When H2O2 Is Added
B
u
b
b
l
e

A
c
t
i
v
i
t
y

(
0
-
5
)

Food Material
6

Conclusions:
There were numerous variables in this lab. The independent variable was the different
foods while the dependent variable was the temperature of the hydrogen peroxide and the
bubbles. There was no clear control group. The standardizing variables were the same about of
hydrogen peroxide was used (5 mL).
When room temperature H
2
O
2
was added the raw liver had the most bubble activity.
When cold H
2
O
2
was used the raw liver had also had the most bubble activity.
The largest temperature change of hydrogen peroxide was caused by the raw liver with
the room temperature H
2
O
2
and it was the raw liver with the cold H
2
O
2.
The chemical reaction
was endothermic because the temperature rose signaling that heat was absorbed.
For room temperature H
2
O
2
sugar had the smallest chemical reaction while with the cold
H
2
O
2
the raw cucumber had the smallest. Catalase would not work on other molecules besides
H
2
O
2
because the shape of an enzyme is very specific. The lock and key model explains how an
enzyme and substrate fit perfectly with each other so no other molecule could work with
catalase.
Enzymes are the type of macromolecule called proteins.
The temperature made a difference in the level of bubble activity.
When the temperature increases it also speeds up the rate that enzymes work. Therefore
as the temperature rises more enzymes will break down more substrates which will create more
bubbles since the bubbles are a byproduct of the reaction.
7

Catalase was the most reactive at 27 Celsius. Body temperature affects catalase activity
because the catalase would be more active and react more quickly.
Most human cells would have the enzyme catalase because catalase gets rid of hydrogen
peroxide in the body that can harm you. The catalase breaks the molecule down so it is not toxic.
The bubbles in the experiment were made of oxygen.
The outcome of the experiment was as expected. We discovered that raw liver and raw
beef had catalase which we could tell because they produced the most amounts of bubbles. Raw
liver in room temperature H
2
O
2
was a 4 and in cold H
2
O
2
it was a 5 where five was the highest.
Raw beef in room temperature H
2
O
2
was a 3 and in cold H
2
O
2
it was a 3. Looking at that data we
could prove that our hypothesis was supported.
Although the cucumbers did produce bubbles we did not think it contained catalase
because the bubbles could have been the product of a different enzyme that was in cucumbers.
The temperatures of the food materials may have been slightly skewed because we
washed the thermometer between taking the initial temperature and the highest temperature.
Depending on the temperature of the water and how long we waited until we took the second
temperature the results could have been different.
Overall we met the goal which was to figure out which foods contained the enzyme
catalase which we successfully did.