Catalysts and Enzymes: Making Life Happen

This lesson is about catalysts. Catalysts speed up chemical reactions without being used up. The principles of catalysis are important in industrial processes, environmental remediation, and most importantly, sustain all of life through diverse biological processes. This lesson segment will follow the 5E method of teaching. In the Engage portion, students will see a demonstrate of Elephant’s Toothpaste using two common catalysts: KI (a small chemical molecule) and catalase from yeast. Students will compare and contrast the two reactions and come up with theories suggesting why they are different. Next, students will Explore enzymes through a lab experience. Students will catalyze the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide using catalase. This lab will connect the Engage demonstration to the Elaborate later in the segment. Students will use titration to measure the rate of products being formed and use their data to create a graph and find the kcat for the reaction. During the Explain portion, students will read and annotate a reading guide focusing on the chemical properties of catalysts, including transition state stabilization and their ability to lower the activation energy of a reaction. In the Elaborate and Evaluate portion of this segment, students will use their knowledge of enzymes to analyze “consumer data” to suggest the best of several products for their consumer. Students will use Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER), which will be used as a summative assessment.