Experiment

3- Proteins

The objective for this experiment is to observe the changes in the egg albumin
solution using different mechanisms. Denaturation of proteins involves
manipulating its structure. During this process of denaturation, chemical changes
takes place because the proteins are digested into amino acids or simpler
substances. Proteins are denatured through heat, mechanical agitation, extremes of
pH, addition of detergents: that disrupts the hydrophobic interactions, change of
polarity and ionic strength of the solvent. Except for those resulted to a clear
solution, the rest of the solution had different appearances in their color of
precipitates. In conclusion, when proteins are denatured they form layers and
produce different colored precipitates.


Experiment 4- Enzymes

The objective for this experiment is to observe and determine the effect of enzymes
in a chemical reaction and to study other factors that affect the activity of enzymes.
Enzymes act as a catalyst to accelerate chemical reactions. They are mostly proteins
exhibiting tertiary and quaternary structures. They are reusable and are specific to
what they will catalyze. Enzymes work by weakening bonds, which lowers the
activation energy. The lower the activation energy, the faster the reaction will take
place. An enzyme has a region for a substrate to bind called the active site. Once the
substrate is bound to the active site, the enzyme and forms into a complex, which
then proceeds to the reaction. In the experiment, potato tuber was used to test for
enzyme activity. Potatoes have an enzyme tyrosinase, which catalyzes the removal
of two hydrogen atoms from a molecule such as catechol and amino acid tyrosine.
This reaction forms water. It was observe during the experiment that addition of
catechol resulted to a reddish brown appearance of the tuber slice. Other factors
that affect enzymatic activity are enzyme and substrate concentration and reaching
optimal pH and optimal temperature all yielded a faster reaction. In conclusion,
enzymatic activity are directly proportional to the enzyme and substrate
concentration. Enzymes are also functional at optimum pH and temperatures.