A) The current fuel system is subject to change. The global economy is dependent on petroleum, which is a polluting natural resource which is destined to run out. Although the future seems bleak for the global economy, there is hope in alternate fuels. Some of the most promising of the prospects to replace gasoline are biofuels. Biofuels are the classification for fuels derived from biomass. In the wall of plant cells lies a polymer with a lot of potential named cellulose. Cellulose cannot be broken down naturally by animals, and this is the reason why it's importance for energy has not become relevant until now. Cellulose is broken down by the cellulose enzyme which is present on the inside of Protists. Enzymes are beneficial to reactions because they speed up chemical reactions and are not consumed with the reaction, so they can be used again and again. The majority of enzymes are proteins, and have a specific 3-D structure. For a chemical reaction to take place, the active site (site of chemical reaction) binds to the substrate (the reactant of the enzyme catalyzed reaction). The process is sped up because the substrate is positioned in a way which allows the transition state of the reaction to become stabilized, and the activation energy is lowered to allow quicker reaction rate. However, the conditions of enzymes must be kept within an optimal range, (the right pH, the right temperature, and the right level of salinity). For centuries, termites have broken down cellulose and used its energy as fuel, and not until recently, scientists discovered how the termites were able to accomplish this feat. The termites have a protozoan called Trichonympha living inside their abdomen, and the trichonymphba has a bacterium named Rs-D17 that lives inside it and produces cellulase enzymes, including cellulase. Cellulase enzymes convert the cellulose into cellobiose, which is converted into two glucose molecules by the enzyme cellobiase. Biofuels work by using glucose (energy) obtained from cellulose to power their engines.
B) For our class, the purpose of this experiment is to measure the enzymatic activity of cellobiase, and to identify the optimal conditions for the enzyme. This also acts as a real world example of the possibilities behind enzymatic studies, and the relevance in the possible future. For industry, the research of Biofuels can offer an alternative energy which would be more sustainable than petroleum. The biofuels offer a new future for industry, one which could make life less polluting, more sustainable, and more reliable.
C) The lab will start with a one milliliter pipette of cellulose. Cellulose is broken down by bacteria, protists, and fungi, so we will use enzymes derived from these sources to convert cellulose into cellobiase. Cellobiase is composed of two glucose molecules, and will be the substrate of the experiment. Cellobiose will be placed in a test tube along with Cellobiase, an enzyme which breaks down cellobiose into single glucose molecules. To measure the effect of the cellobiase on the cellobiose, we will substitute the cellobiose with an artificial substrate. The artificial substrate will be composed of Glucose and P-Nitrophenol. At various time points, we will add a strong base to the test tube which kills cellobiase, and turns P-Nitrophenol yellow. This will allow documentation of the coloration of the test tube, and we will be able to drw a conclusion from this data. For extended exploration in this experiment, we will bring in mushrooms to test which mushrooms are better decomposers. We will grind up the mushrooms, and add them in place of the cellobiase (add them with the Glucose and P-Nitrophenol). This part of the experiment will give us a greater understanding of the cellobiase content in the foods that we eat, and also in some of the mushrooms that we see.
D) I believe that the cellobiase in Day 1 will make glucose disappear faster than the ground mushrooms which we will add in day 2. The controls of this experiment are the Cellobiase and the artificial substrate (Day 1), while the variables of the experiment will be the ground mushrooms and artificial substrate (Day 2). The cellobiase acts as the control, because cellobiase will definitely separate the artificial substrate at a quicker pace with its higher concentration. The ground mushroom acts as the variable in this case, because we are unaware of the cellobiase concentration within the organism, and we are charting the difference between cellobiase and the mushroom.
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