Enzyme Catalase Lab Report

Claim This lab was conducted to test the effect of adding hydrochloric acid (HCl) to the reaction between hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and the enzyme catalase, which is and enzyme found in liver (NOAA Office of Response and Restoration). Our group first hypothesized that if 2 milliliters (mL) of hydrochloric acid was added to a mixture of 2 mL of liver extract and 2 mL of hydrogen peroxide, then the acid would intensify the reaction between the hydrogen peroxide and the catalase and cause increased bubbling. Hydrochloric acid is strong and highly acidic (Merriam-Webster), leading our group to believe that it would create more bubbling. However, since the evidence collected did not support this research, adding hydrochloric acid to the liver extract

Instead, with the evidence collected from the lab, it was concluded that adding hydrochloric acid to a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and liver extract hindered the original reaction and decreased bubbling. The positive control, that hydrogen peroxide and the catalase in liver extract are known to react, created more oxygen bubbles than the liver extract and acid did when combined with hydrogen peroxide. On the other hand, the negative control produced no reaction, since water does not react with hydrogen peroxide. There were a inconsistencies in data in the positive control since the first test was 8 mm higher than average and the second test was 7 mm less than average, and the tested experiment since the first test results were 10 mm less than the second and third. This might have been caused by imprecise and slow measurement or confusion due an overload of running tests. A revised experimental design would include supporting the hypothesis with evidence, and running tests individually and measuring bubbles immediately to improve