Enzymatic Reactions P1

Question 1

What is amylase?

Answer 1

Enzyme that breaks down starch to maltose.

Question 2

How can you identify amylase?

Answer 2

Easily detected using iodine solution - if present turnes from browny-orange to blue-black

Question 3

How do you investigate how pH affects amylase activity?

Answer 3

1. put a drop of iodine solution into each well of spotting tile
2. Using bunsen burner heat water in beaker until 35 degrees trying to keep constant during experiment
3. Use syringe add 1 cm^3 of amylase solution and 1 cm^3 buffer solution with a pH 5 to a boiling tube. Using a test tube holder place tube into beaker of water and wait 5 minutes
4. add 5cm^3 starch solution to boiling tube using different syringe
5. immediately mix contents and start stopwatch.
6. use continuous sampling to see when all starch is broken down. To do: every 30 seconds drops from pipette into a well and when iodine solution remains browny-orange no iodine is present.
7. Repeat with different buffers of different concentrations and see how pH can affect time taken to break down starch

Control variables eg. concentration and volume of amylase solution.

Question 4

What is the equation for rate of reaction?

Answer 4

rate = 1000 / time
or
rate = amount changed / time