Enzymes and pH Practical

• Apparatus


  • Spotting tile
  • Measuring cylinder
  • Test Tube
  • Syringe
  • Pipette
  • Stopwatch
  • Buffer solutions
  • Iodine
  • Starch solution
  • Amylase solution

  
• Results and Analysis

  Amylase  breaks down starch

  • At the optimum pH, the iodine stopped turning blue-black and remained orange-brown within the shortest amount of time
  • the enzyme is working at its fastest rate and has digested all the starch
  • above or below the optimum the iodine took a longer time to stop turning blue-black or continued to turn blue-black for the entire investigation
  • either side of the optimum pH, the enzymes are starting to become denatured and as a result are unable to bind with the starch or break it down
• Limitations


  • The starch and amylase solutions that need to be used should be placed in a water bath at optimum temperature before being used
  • A colorimeter can be used to measure the progress of the reaction more accurately by measuring the absorbance/transmission of light through the coloured solution
  • A control of iodine solution would be used for comparison