BIO 211 Lab Section 11
February 15, 2012
Effects of Temperature on Enzymatic Activity
Abstract
Temperature is a measure of kinetic energy. As this movement increases, collision rate and intensity, and therefore reaction rates, increase. This experiment was conducted to determine if there is a minimum temperature that increase kinetic energy and denature enzymes to slow enzymatic reactions or fail to catalyze them. The experimental results indicate an increase in temperature will increase reaction rates until proteins denature.

Introduction
Enzymes combine with reactant molecules (substrate) and bind them closely to one another. The three-dimensional shape of the enzyme molecule must be complementary to the shape of the substrate. …show more content…
Results
Four test tubes with a yeast enzyme solution were exposed to different temperatures and had a peroxide soaked filter paper dropped in to determine how long it would take for an enzymatic reaction shown in Table 1. For the test tube immersed in a beaker of water at room temperature was recorded at 36.9 and 41.8 seconds and it took an average of 39.4 seconds for them to reach the top of the test tube. The test tube with the water fixed at a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, it took 19.3 and 17.4 seconds and had an average of 18.3 seconds. For the tube placed in the container filled with ice at a temperature of 0 degrees Celsius, the results were found to take more than ten minutes therefore a >60 seconds was recorded for each testing and for the average reaction rate. As for the test tube that was immersed in a beaker of water at 65 degrees Celsius, the times that it took were 5.4 and 5.0 seconds, which had an average of 5.2 seconds reaction time. The results of the experiment are shown graphically in Figure 1.

Temperature (degree C) | Reaction Time (Seconds) | Reaction Time (Seconds) | Average Reaction Time (Seconds) | 37 degrees Celsius | 19.3 | 17.4 | 18.4 | Room Temperature | 36.9 | 41.8 | 39.4 | 0 degrees Celsius (ice) | >60 | >60 |