1. Are the objective and introduction written in an engaging way? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 2. Is the difficulty level accurate? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 3. Were the materials easily obtained? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 4. Was the procedure clear? Yes No      If 'No' please explain. characters left 5. Were all safety measures included? Yes No      If 'No' please explain. characters left 6. Did you obtain clear, unambiguous results? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 7. How much time did you spend on the project? Choose One... A day or less Several days About one week A couple weeks Several weeks to months 8. How much did the project cost? Choose One... Less than $20 $20 - $50 $50 - $100 $100 - $150 $150+ Optional:  Do you have any suggestions to improve this project? characters left Optional:  Attach a picture of your project (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG only) Optional:  Caption for picture characters left Thank you for your feedback! * Note: This is an abbreviated project idea, without notes to start your background research or a procedure for how to do the experiment. You can identify abbreviated project ideas by the asterisk at the end of the title. If you want a project idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk. Abstract Many proteins act as catalysts which speed up or regulate a biochemical reaction. The kinetics of an enzyme can be investigated by measuring the reactants and products of the reaction over time. Research the enzymatic reaction of a protein and investigate its kinetics. Measure the production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by catalase, the digestion of gelatin by papain, or any other enzymatic reaction you have access to. Once you have a method for measuring the kinetics of the reaction, conduct a series of experiments to measure the enzyme kinetics under different conditions. For example, you could systematically change the concentration of dissolved salts, or the temperature, or the pH of the solution in which you are measuring the enzyme kinetics. Or you could add an excess of one or more reactants, or an excess of one or more products to see what effect this would have on the enzyme kinetics. Variations For more science project ideas in this area of science, see Biotechnology Techniques Project Ideas. Last edit date: 2008-11-10 13:47:58

I Did This Project! Tell us about your experience with this science project. What was the most important thing you learned? characters left What problems did you encounter? (Enter "none" if you had none.) characters left Can you suggest any improvements or ideas? (Enter "no" if you have none.) characters left How do you rate this project? Poor OK Good Very Good Excellent Optional:  Attach a picture of your project (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG only) Optional:  Caption for picture characters left Thank you for your feedback! Related Links Science Fair Project Guide Project Summary Difficulty  7  –  9  Time required Long (a couple of weeks) Prerequisites Should have basic knowledge of chemistry and chemical reactions. Material Availability Readily available Cost Low ($20 - $50) Safety Use caution when choosing a biochemical reaction to study. For more information about chemical safety, consult the Chemical Safety Guide Share this Project Idea! Donate to Science Buddies Sponsor Sponsored by generous grants from Bio-Rad and its Biotechnology Explorer program Inspiring minds want to know. Unravel the mysteries of biotech explorer.bio-rad.com

Career Focus

If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring related careers.

	Chemist Everything in the environment, whether naturally occurring or of human design, is composed of chemicals. Chemists search for and use new knowledge about chemicals to develop new processes or products.			Biochemist Growing, aging, digesting—all of these are examples of chemical processes performed by living organisms. Biochemists study how these types of chemical actions happen in cells and tissues, and monitor what effects new substances, like food additives and medicines, have on living organisms.

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