TWIS Post #1: Enzyme

   This past week was fun. I'd rate last weeks lab a 10. I did pretty well on the quizzes and the do now's. The vocab was easy to remember. We learned about enzymes and what the purpose of an enzyme is. Enzymes break down substrates, speed up reactions, and put together products. We learned that enzymes cannot function properly in extreme temperatures (Very hot or cold temperatures). When the pH is to acidic the enzymes cannot break down the substrate either. Based on the lab the enzymes broke down the liver faster in basic pH levels. It also worked best when the liver was raw. We did an experiment using our hands, tape, and pennies. We had to flip all the pennies heads up before anything, then when the timer started we had to use one hand to flip the penny over tails up within 15 seconds. That was the enzymes breaking down the substrate in 30°C. Then we had to do the same thing with both hands (32°C), then with our pointer finger and middle finger taped together (37°C), then with our thumb, pointer, and middle finger taped together and out ring finger and pinky taped together (42°C), and then with our fists (47°C). We were testing the optimal temperature the enzyme works in. I don't this this lab was challenging at all however, it was very fun to do.
   
   In this part of the lab we used cooked and raw liver and peroxide to test which temperature the enzymes can break down the substrates quicker. The raw liver started bubbling up immediately the rate if reaction was a 5 out of a scale from 1-5. However the cooked liver didn't bubble up at all the rate of reaction was a 1.