Enzyme Activity Conclusion

Explanation #3 states that the substance in the potato that interacts with hydrogen peroxide is altered when the two substances are mixed; the oxygen gas, as a result, comes from both the hydrogen peroxide and the substance in the potato. When we dropped the potato into the hydrogen peroxide, we noticed that it took a couple of seconds for the oxygen gas to start appearing. The white bubbles formed once the potato was dropped in and it stopped bubbling quickly after. We also noticed that it didn’t matter how much hydrogen peroxide was added or what size the potato was, the oxygen bubbles always formed.

Since this reaction would not have happened if the potato had not been added to the hydrogen peroxide, both substances had to play a role in the reaction. This evidence shows how hydrogen peroxide works. When you have a cut, hydrogen peroxide helps heal the wound with a chemical reaction. Chemicals in the stomach also help with breaking down foods. The decomposition formula for the hydrogen peroxide is H2O2H2O+O2. The hydrogen peroxide is the substrate of the reaction.

Explanation #1 states that the substance in the potato that interacts with hydrogen peroxide is altered when the two substances are mixed; the oxygen gas, as a result, comes from the substance in the potato. Although this is true, the potato could not have done it all by itself. The hydrogen peroxide, without something to mix with, could not do it by itself either. Therefore the oxygen gas must come from a combination of both the potato and the hydrogen peroxide.