The substrates of catecholase are catechol and oxygen. The substrates react with one another within the active site of the enzyme. The products formed by this reaction are benzoquinone and water; since benzoquinone has a brown color, you can see that the reaction has taken place.
We know that the test tube with the darkest brown is the one that catechol oxidase functions optimal in because when catechol oxidase oxidizes catechol it produces a brown pigment, benzoquinon. The more benzoquinone (brown coloring), the more oxidation that occurred.
Catechol oxidase is an enzyme that speeds up the oxidation reaction when catechol is exposed to oxygen. When the reaction occurs, benzoquinone is produced turning the oxidized substance brown.
The enzyme that we are using to see a chemical reaction is known as catalase located into the potato. This enzyme is then going to act upon the substrate in this case hydrogen peroxide.
An enzyme therefore catalyzes a specific chemical reaction but may be able to do so on several similar compounds.
Catecholase catalyzes the reaction of catechol and oxygen and is the enzyme that causes bruised or otherwise damaged fruit to turn brown. In the presence of catecholase, catechol is oxidized to form benzoquinone, which has a reddish brown color.
Enzymic browning is a reaction which requires the action of enzymes and oxidation in order to occur. What happens during enzymic browning? Oxygen in the air can cause sliced fruit to brown, a process called enzymic browning (an oxidation reaction).
Produced by Science & Plants for Schools (SAPS), this investigation looks at the activity of the enzyme catechol oxidase (also called polyphenoloxidase). Found in a wide variety of plants, it is responsible for the darkening observed when many fruits or vegetables are cut or bruised....Catechol Oxidase Activity in Fruits and Vegetables.50103 more rows
Catechol oxidases (COs) are ubiquitous type 3 dicopper enzymes which catalyze the oxidation of a broad range of o–diphenols to o–quinones.
The enzyme being studied in this experiment is catecholase, which catalyzes the substrate catechol. Catechol can be found beneath the surface of many plants and reacts to the exposure of oxygen to create benzoquinone, which acts as an antiseptic for the plant to deter pathogens that enter damaged plant tissue.
Catalase is also found in plants. Potatoes, particularly, contain high amounts of catalase, which is mysterious because plants do not filter toxins from food. Catalase is involved with photorespiration, however, which explains its presence, but does not account for its abundance.
Liver, potato, and other living tissues contain the enzyme catalase. This enzyme breaks down hydrogen peroxide, which is a harmful by-product of the process of cellular respiration if it builds up in concentration in the cells.