Enzyme Lab

We recently did a lab where we(Lauren, Damon, and I) tested enzyme activity at different factors to see what changes we can identify. I thought that when we added more enzymes it would make the solution, which was Hydrogen Peroxide diluted in Water, have more of a reaction. The reaction was the pressure sensor plug popping off. That was the first test we did.
The second test we did was with the yeast. With this test I thought that the more yeast we put in, the quicker we would have the reaction of the sensor plug popping off.
After the plug popped off with the yeast test, the yeast went everywhere!! It was pretty intense actually! It scared me! The plug popped off with both tests at 30, 40, and 50 drops. All of the test tubes that we had, had the plug pop off!!
When we added temperature to the test tubes I thought that it would slow down the reaction a little bit.. It ended up being that we had to have the perfect temperature to have a reaction because it being too hot slowed it down and it being too cold also slowed it down a lot. This graph is  Test #1.

This graph is for Test #2

This is the graph for test #3 

PKU

Metabolic disorders are genetic diseases that affect the body's ability to perform its normal chemical reactions. Many metabolic disorders result from enzyme defects. Recall that a metabolic pathway is a stepwise sequence of enzyme-mediated reactions. If one enzyme in a metabolic pathway is defective, that enzyme's substrate may accumulate and the pathway may not be completed. This may result in a buildup of harmful substances or a shortage of required molecules.

Some Answered Questions on PKU---v

1. What enzyme is most commonly defective in people with phenylketonuria?

A: The PAH (phenylalanine hydroxylase) enzyme. It’s produced in the liver.

2. What reaction does this enzyme catalyze? (What is the substrate and what product is produced?)

A: A substrate is a molecule upon which an enzyme acts. the substrate bonds with the enzyme active site, an enzyme-substrate complex is formed.

3. Describe the symptoms of phenylketonuria.

A: Bahavioral/Social Problems, Hyperactivity, Mental Retardation, Small Head SIze, Etc..

4. What causes the symptoms of PKU, the lack of a substance or the buildup of one? Explain.

A: The build up of a substance, can cause the a young child who may seem normal for the first few months of life but if it goes untreated it can cause many problems

5. How common is phenylketonuria? How is it treated?

A: The occurrence of PKU varies among ethnic groups and geographic regions worldwide. Treatment involves a diet that is extremely low in phenylalanine, particularly when the child is growing. The diet must be strictly followed.

It was very informational and i learned a lot about what phenylketonuria is and how it affects the body, and how people would be able to treat it.

Microscope quiz

In using the microscope, I looked at a couple slides and the one that I found most interesting was the Leaf and stem slide. When I got the focus just right, I noticed that it was a very green, blue, pink, and purple color. It was very interesting and pretty I liked it!

As I zoomed in closer and closer I started to see the outline of the cells, then the cell membrane of the plant and a little bit of what was inside of each cell. It really makes me wonder like what everything looks like when you're in that deep with a cell.

Here are some pictures of the slide that I looked at through the microscope.

Zoom at : lowest

Zoom at: a bit higher

Zoom at: second highest

Testing cohesion

Cohesion is a term that scientists use to say that something sticks together, for example, water is very cohesive. Water molecules tend to be attracted to each other. In a recent lab we did in class, we tested how far we could push water cohesion!

In the first lab we tried to cut water in half with a toothpick. First, I put a couple drops of water onto a piece of wax paper. Then, when I tried to cut the water with the toothpick, the water won. The cohesion with the water is what made the water win because the water really likes itself :).


During the second part of the lab we saw how many droplets of water we could get onto a penny. The results were very close in numbers. The max we could fit onto the penny was about 40-43. Again, that proves that water likes water!


The third part of the lab, we tested how fat you could fun water down a string to get from one end to the other end. When we mastered one length of string, you could get a longer piece of string and once mastered that, then you get a longer string, etc. Water sticks to itself thats all thats to it.

And in this lab, we learned that water always will stick to itself by cohesion.

Bugs and corn lab

With this lab,  we used a virtual simulation to gather info and interpret data. This dealed with growing two different types of corn in two different ways in pods. Then we added bugs to the different pods and also the amount of bugs were different then we just watched the corn grow over a period of 140 days that were simulated. After the corn grew you picked the corn and weighed it and last but not least we put the data in the table that we had and recorded it all. This lad taught me that there are different effects on corn from bugs and the amount of them.

Cell Membranes

Cell membranes are a barrier to most substances, and this property allows materials to be concentrated inside cells, excluded from cells, or simply separated from the outside environment. This iscompartmentalisation is essential for life, as it enables reactions to take place that would otherwise be impossible. Eukaryotic cells can also compartmentalise materials inside organelles. Obviously materials need to be able to enter and leave cells, and there are five main methods by which substances can move across a cell membrane:

1. Lipid Diffusion
2. Osmosis
3. Passive Transport
4. Active Transport
5. Vesicles     
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Lipid Diffusion:        
   
   
   a passive diffusion process, no energy is involved and substances can only move down their concentration gradient. Lipid diffusion cannot be controlled by the cell, in the sense of being switched on or off.
   
   
   
   
   Osmosis:
         
   
   
   Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a membrane. It is in fact just normal lipid diffusion, but since water is so important and so abundant in cells (its concentration is about 50 M), the diffusion of water has its own name - osmosis. 
   
   
   
   
   Passive Transport:     
    
   
   
   Passive transport is the transport of substances across a membrane by a trans-membrane protein molecule. The transport proteins tend to be specific for one molecule (a bit like enzymes), so substances can only cross a membrane if it contains the appropriate protein.
   
   
   
   
   Active Transport:  
       
   
   
   
   
   Active transport is the pumping of substances across a membrane by a trans-membrane protein pump molecule. The protein binds a molecule of the substance to be transported on one side of the membrane, changes shape, and releases it on the other side.
   
   
   
   
   Vesicles:
       
   The processes described so far only apply to small molecules. Large molecules (such as proteins, polysaccharides and nucleotides) and even whole cells are moved in and out of cells by using membrane vesicles.
   
   

Biomolecules

A biomolecule is any of the organic molecules produced by living organisms.

	Carbohydrates	Fats	Protein
Simplest form	Monosaccharides	· Saturated fatty acids Unsaturated fatty acids  · Glycerol	Basic unit: amino acids
Structure/ Types	· Monosaccharides: single sugar molecules, reducing sugars  · Disaccharides:double sugar molecules  · Polysaccharides: made from condensing many similar monosaccharides	· Neutral fats and oils  o Monoglyceride  o Diglyceride  o Triglycerids: contains 1 glycerol and 4 fatty acid molecules  · Phospholipids:  o Hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tail (polar molecules) form a lipid bilayer – plasma membrane  o Consist of organic group, phosphate group, glycerol and fatty acid	· Primary: Amino acids linked to form a polypeptide chain  · Secondary: Polypeptides are folded in various ways  · Tertiary: Folding of secondary structure into a complex shape  · Quarternary: Aggregation of polypeptide chains (alpha, beta chain, prosthetic group)
Function/Role	· starch: concentrated form of energy  · form supporting structures (e.g. cellulose cell wall)  · formation of nucleic acids  · synthesis of lubricants  · Fibre: Provides bulk to intestinal contents  · Aids in peristalsis	· Effective source and storage of energy  · Insulating material as it is just under the skin  · Solvent for fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and hormones (eg: sex hormones)  · Restricts water loss from surface of the skin  · Constituent of protoplasm, especially in membranes	· Source of energy  · Catalytic (enzymes)  · Transport  · Structural role in cells: synthesis of protoplasm (growth and repair of worn out cells  · Formation of antibodies to combat diseases
Bonds	Glycosidic bonds	Tryglycerides – Ester bonds	· Amino acids - Peptide bonds  · Fibrous protein- Hydrogen bond  · Globular protein – disulfide bond
Properties		· Group of organic compounds with an oily, greasy or waxy consistency  · Insoluble  · Water repelling	· Fibrous  o Water insoluble  o Parallel polypeptide chains  · Globular  o Easily water soluble
Molecular formular	CnH2nOn	R-COOH or CH3(CH2)nCOOH
Deficiency			· Kwashiokor  · Edema
Excess		Obesity

Acid in Your Stomach Lab

This lab "Acid in Your Stomach" was a very interesting lab. The different types of tums and the colors and the generic and name brands, they all did something different. The colored tablets were different than the white ones. They all did about the same thing just they had different acidic levels and they were different colors.

The Generic and the name Brand were on the same Ph level, which means that they would work about the same on the average person. It all depends on weight and who the person is so thats how that would work or not. Either way they are both on the same acidic level so they are the same and work the same just one is colorful and one isn't. 

Water Lab

Yesterday in Biology we did a lob about water and what we did was first we got a penny, just an ordinary penny, and each one of us got a little dropper and filled it with water and tried to get as many drops as we could of water on the penny before it spilled over and if I remember, the highest was about 73 and for the alcohol about 37. The water had no affect on the wax paper. The water on the string was difficult and you had to have the string a certain length and a certian angle.

Today in Biology...

Today in Biology I did a lab and you can find it here:


http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/virtual_labs/BL_01/BL_01.html



Its a virtual simulation of growing corn and theres different ways to grow it and sometimes if you put too much bugs the corn doesnt grow right..
Click the link and check it out! Its fun!