9.8: Post-Lab

Post-lab questions for ELN

Include your answers to the following post-lab questions in your electronic laboratory notebook (ELN).

1.  Using a biochemistry or physical chemistry textbook, review the derivation of the rate equation for the Michaelis-Menten mechanism.  What are the assumptions made?  
2.  Suppose someone prefers the taste of an apple that browns rapidly.  What could be done to inhibit the catalyzed browning reaction for that apple?  Suggest an experiment that could be done to determine the Michaelis-Menten kinetic parameters for this reaction.  
3. How does pH affect the catalytic effectiveness of an enzyme?  Suggest an experiment that could be done to determine the effect of acidity on an enzyme’s ability to catalyze a reaction.
4. Use two of the references listed in the References section to discuss the role of the enzyme catecholase in the browning of fruit.  

The materials in this module are adapted from Cole, Renée S., Marc Muniz, Erica Harvey, Robert Sweeney, and Sally Hunnicutt. “How Should Apples Be Prepared for a Fruit Salad? A Guided Inquiry Physical Chemistry Experiment.” Journal of Chemical Education 97, no. 12 (December 8, 2020): 4475–81. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00517.