Enzymes!

I am in the middle of Open House right now; nice group of parents!  Some of them even laughed at my jokes :) 

Today in class we really got to know enzymes.  Our guiding question was: "How do we maximize the rate of enzyme activity?"  We discussed enzyme structure as a product of its amino acids.  We also looked at how enzymes catalyze reactions by decreasing the activation energy.  Next we discussed how enzyme activity is regulated and the role of inhibitors, cofactors and poisons.  We ended by talking about factors that affect rate of enzyme activity.

At the end of class students got into their lab groups to come up with a strategy for our competitive lab that will occur on Friday.  The goal is to get the enzyme CATALASE to break down hydrogen peroxide at the highest rate.  Students should be prepared to start right at the beginning of class.  There will be prizes awarded to the winning lab group!