Biofuel Enzyme Reactions Kit for AP Biology
Measure and optimize the enzyme kinetics of cellobiase and explore its connection to both biofuel production and mushroom ecology.
Overview
Enzyme Lab Activity for AP Biology and Biotechnology Classrooms
The Biofuel Enzyme Reactions Kit for AP Biology is a student-driven, inquiry-based kit that characterizes the activity of the cellobiase enzyme. In this ThINQ! Investigation, students will play the role of bioengineer to explore the power of enzyme kinetics and optimize conditions that will maximize the rate of sugar conversion for the production of biofuel.
Features and Benefits
- Aligns with AP Biology Big Ideas 2 and 4
- Introduction to enzyme kinetics with real world application to biofuel energy
- Enables both qualitative and quantitative measurements of reactions
- Contains no caustic reagents
Classroom Experience
Students first extract cellobiase from mushrooms to discover one way that nature uses enzymes. They then generate questions and hypotheses about enzyme function under different environmental conditions — temperature, pH, and concentrations — that influence enzyme function. Students can take a structured, guided, or open approach to inquiry as they test their hypotheses. Finally, with data in hand, students use evidence to create a list of conditions for optimal enzymatic activity for biofuel production.
Background Information
Cellulosic ethanol is a biofuel derived from plant matter. Cellulose is a polysaccharide found in the cell walls of plants; and cellobiose is a component of cellulose, a polysaccharide found in the cell walls of plants.
A key step in the production of cellulosic ethanol is the breakdown of cellobiose by the cellobiase enzyme. Students test and calculate the conversion rate of a sugar substrate (p–nitrophenyl glucopyranoside) to p–nitrophenol and glucose in the presence or absence of cellobiase.
Select the kit which is right for you and your students:
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ThINQ! Biofuel Kit |
Classic Biofuel Kit |
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Standards alignment |
AP Biology |
General Biology, Biotechnology, CTE |
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Pedagogical support |
Open, guided, and structured inquiry |
Structured inquiry |
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Main learning objectives |
Focus on student-driven questions and problem solving |
Mastery of technical skills |
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Initial experiment |
Compare reaction rates of mushroom extracts Focuses on inquiry process |
Compare reaction rates with and without purified enzyme Uses well characterized samples to obtain reproducible results |
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Kit contents |
Materials for 8 student workstations to perform 1 initial experiment and up to 5 additional enrichment activities |
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Explore features of the Classic Biofuel Enzyme Kit.
Specifications
(2–4 students per workstation)
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