Title : The effect of heat on the rate of respiration.

Research Question : How does temperature affect the rate of respiration of peas. Independent Variable : Temperature of solution (32 ,42 ,52 ,62 ) Dependant Variable : The rate of reaction of peas respiration. Constant : Volume and molarity of bromcresol indicator, number of peas used in experiment. Hypothesis : The rate of reaction of peas respiration rises accordingly with the increase of temperature of the solution.

Data Collection Temperature ,T [ C] Time of reaction (min) 32 27.8 42 16.3 52 39.7 62

Data Processing Formula Rate of respiration = 1 Time of reaction (min) All time for reaction to occur is taken from the time bromcresol takes to change from dark brown to yellow due to the presence of C02.All time is digitally recorded to 1 significant figure using a digital wrist watch. Temperature ,T [ C] Rate of respiration (min) 32 1 27.8 = 0.036 min-1 42 1 16.3 = 0.061 min-1 52 1 39.7 = 0.025 min-1 62 1 = 0 min-1

Discussion Pyruvate Ethanol + CO2 Ethanal + NADH Ethanol + NAD+

Q10 = Time at t C Time at (t +10) C From the rate of respiration obtained at each t C, a formula such as one above could be used to compare the time taken for two temperatures with a difference of 10 C. From 32 C to 42 C Q10 = Time at 32 C Time at 42 C = 27.8 16.3 = 1.706 From the calculated value above, it can be seen that as the temperature rises from 32 C to 42 C, the rate of reaction too increases. This is because, at higher temperatures, the collision between the substrate and the enzyme increases due to the faster molecular motion, thus increasing the probability of a collision between the substrate and the active site. This will be true with the increase of temperature, until and optimum temperature is reached. At this point, the reaction between the substrate and the enzyme is seen to be at the highest hence leading to an optimum rate of reaction. From the graph sketched, the value obtained is at 39.5 C. From 42 C to 52 C Q10 = Time at 42 C Time at 52 C = 16.3 39.7 = 0.411 From 52 C to 62 C Q10 = Time at 52 C Time at 62 C = 39.7 =0

However, from the value calculated above, we could also see a decrease of the rate of reaction at higher temperature levels. This is because, at higher temperatures, (42 C > 52 C) the increase in energy will slowly alter the configuration or the shape of the active site thus reducing its effectiveness. At extreme temperatures, (62 C) the bonds of the enzyme will be broken and the shape of the enzyme is distorted with its active site no longer complementary fitting the substrate. Hence, at this point, the enzyme substrate is unable to form and no reaction will occur. Evaluation Shortcomings of the experiment 1. Difficulty arises in distinguishing the colours between that of the indicator solution and the standard solution. This is because, the indicator solution is slowly oxidized with the exposure to air. 2. The number of data taken to plot the graph is insufficient hence making the graph unreliable. This is due to the long time required for the bromcresol to be oxidized from dark brown to yellow. 3. Some of the peas used are probably dead. This is assumed as some of the peas are soaked and stored for more than 24 hours. Thus, this reduces the respiration efficiency of the peas as the peas are now not fresh and new. 4. At higher temperatures, such as 52 C and 62 C, the usage of water heated in the beaker is not accurate. This is because, the temperature will slowly drop and is not constantly maintained. Ways of improving the experiment 1. The usage of stopper on the test tubes will prevent the bromcresol from being oxidized hence allowing a better distinguishing of colours to be done. 2. Water baths could be used to maintain the temperature of the water surrounding the test tubes. Thus, a constant environment temperature is maintained. 3. More water baths could also be added to allow multi tasking to be done. More data could be obtained in the same period of time and a more reliable and accurate graph could hence be plotted. 4. Peas could be bought earlier in the day to maintain its freshness and thus allowing the respiration of the peas to occur at its optimum rate. This would thus eliminate any doubt or any inaccuracies in the experiment.

Conclusion The rate of respiration of peas increases together with the increment of temperature.