Hypothesis

The rate of reaction should increase with a higher concentration of enzymes

Prediction

With a higher concentration of enzymes the rate of reaction should be high as the substrate in the
solution would be catalysed by the enzyme quicker if there are more of them

Variables that could affect the experiment (control)

-Human error when diluting the enzyme

- Inaccurate amount of the enzyme being placed into the urea

-inaccurate taking of time when the enzyme has been added to the urea

-Cross contamination

Independant variable (things that will change in the experiment)

The concentration of enzymes will vary

Dependant Variable (variable that the experiment will be measuring)

The dependant variable is the amount of time it takes for the urease (enzyme) to catalyse the urea

The control variables of the experiment

The control would be the urea as the amount of the urea that is reacted with the urease remains the
same throughout

The number of repeats done

3 repeats will be done for all the concentration in order to ensure that the results are more reliable

Equipment

Test tubes

Urea

Urease

Phenol red

Stop watch

Syringe

Measuring cylinder

Distilled water

Water bath
PH Buffer

Why the equipment is needed

Phenoll red is the indicator needed to tell us that the urea has reacted with the urease to form
ammonia. If ammonia is present there should be a colour change from orange to redish purple

The barrel syringes are used to provide more accuracy than the pipette which will increase the
precision of the results

Ethical issues

Not applicable for this experiment

Risk assessment

-Enzymes are hazardous as they digest things – avoid contact with skin it is a good idea to wear
gloves while handling the enzyme

-Wear goggles to prevent any substances from getting into the eye

-Caution is also needed when handling the barrel syringes as the needle is sharp

Accuracy

The results were accurate

Reliability

The experiment was repeated 3 times in order to increase reliability

Precision

Measuring cylinder, barrel syringe, pipettes and a stopwatch was used in order to increase precision,
however it may have been affected by human error when taking a reading or due to reaction time