Essay On Macromolecules

Macromolecules like carbohydrates and proteins are organic molecules that support life. Enzymes are needed to break carbohydrates down into simpler components that can easily be used for energy. However, enzymes are very specific and only react to certain substrates, as shown by part A of this lab, where glucose trinder was exposed to glucose, galactose, mannose, and lactose, but only reacted with glucose. To show how pH can have an effect on enzymatic reactions, lactose was exposed to lactase at different pH 's, the data showed that the reactions occurred more easily at the more neutral pH 's (closer to a pH of 7).

Background:

Macromolecules are organic molecules that are necessary for life, these molecules include nuclei acids, carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. Carbohydrates are the bodies main source of energy, but they 're in the wrong forms, for example lactose, which was used in the lab. Enzymes are used to break down the carbohydrates into simpler components that are easily digested and converted into energy. The purpose of this lab was to show how specific enzymes are, and how enzymatic

The observations from part A show that the glucose became a dark pink when exposed to the trinder, while the galactose and mannose gained a light pink tint, and the lactose represented absolutely no color change. Part B 's hypothesis was that the further the pH level gets from neutral (7), the harder it would be for the lactase to break the lactose down. As shown in "Chart 1.", the lactase enzyme was able to work most efficiently at a pH of 7. The enzyme had a more difficult time at the pH of 9, and at pH 's 2, 4, and 11, the lactase enzyme was barely able to break the lactose into glucose and galactose. This is shown by the absorbance of the color change caused by the reaction of the glucose and glucose