Cell Size Surface Area- Volume Essay Example

play an important role in facilitating these reactions.

Enzymes play a crucial role in our well-being by enhancing chemical reactions. They achieve this by reducing the activation energy, thus facilitating the conversion of reactants into products. This acceleration in reaction rate is essential for the functioning of our bodies, as chemical reactions are vital for our survival. Furthermore, enzymes exhibit an interesting characteristic depicted in 'figure 2': they remain unchanged after carrying out their function. As a result, enzymes can be utilized repeatedly without undergoing any alteration.

Enzymes, like all proteins, have the ability to be used multiple times on small molecules, resulting in the formation of a long chain made up of repeating subunits. They display a high level of specificity and are present in bodily tissues and fluids. Enzyme function is determined by their shape, and organisms can produce multiple enzymes with distinct purposes. The substances that interact with enzymes are known as substrates. Various factors including substrate concentration (salinity), pH, temperature, activators, and inhibitors can affect both the shape of a molecule and its interaction with enzymes.

The denaturing process, also referred to as denaturation, can reduce the effectiveness or completely eliminate the functionality of enzymes. The aim of the experiment is to investigate how the surface area to volume ratio affects the rate and percentage of diffusion in cells with different sizes. As per the hypothesis, when agar cubes come into contact with Hydrochloric Acid, they will become transparent, indicating their cell size and surface area to volume ratio. The hypothesis proposes that as cell size gets larger, both surface area and volume increase simultaneously.

Apparatus

• 3 cubes of Agar
  

with NaOH &phenolphthalein indicator (1cm³, 2cm³, 3cm³)

5 minutes have passed (or when the smallest cube becomes saturated), carefully remove all cubes from the beaker using forceps and transfer them to a glass petri dish.

Rinse cubes underwater (gently).  Return HCl to waste container (see your teacher) Using the scalpel and forceps to hold agar gel, carefully cut each cube in? making sure to clean the blade in fresh water and dry with a paper towel in between cutting cubes.  Using a ruler, measure the distance HCl travelled (diffused) through each of the agar cubes. This will be the amount of ‘clear’ perimeter around the pink/brown centre.  Record all results ; observations on your table, return the equipment, and clean your prac station. Volume = clear volume, Volume Diffused = Clear total volume – Pink volume, Volume Undiffused = Volume of Pink cube.

Discussion

When placing the cubes into hydrochloric Acid, they were rinsed gently underwater before returning HCl to a waste container as instructed by a teacher. The scalpel and forceps were used to hold agar gel for carefully cutting each cube while ensuring that the blade was cleaned with fresh water and dried with a paper towel between cuts. By using a ruler, one could measure how far HCl diffused through each agar cube resulting in a 'clear' perimeter surrounding its pink/brown center. All outcomes and observations should be recorded on a table while also returning equipment and cleaning up practical stations afterwards.

The acid diffused into all the cubes at the same rate, but it had a greater impact on the smallest cube due to its larger proportion. As cells grow, their volume increases faster

than their surface area, leading to a decrease in the surface area to volume ratio. This supports my hypothesis.

Conclusion

As cell size increases, the surface area to volume ratio decreases. If the cell's volume continues to grow, diffusion will no longer effectively transport materials into the cell.

The size of a cell determines the effectiveness of its metabolism rate, as it affects the diffusion of required nutrients.

Bibliography

1. John Kyrk, 2013, Cell Biology Animation, Batavia, http://www. johnkyrk. com/ Flinn, 2013, Cell Size and Diffusion, http://www. flinnsci. com/teacher-resources/teacher-resource-videos/see-it-in-action-videos/biology/cell-size-and-diffusion,-fb1638/
2. Regina Bailey, Diffusion and Passive Transport, http://biology. about. com/od/cellularprocesses/ss/diffusion_3. htm
3. CliffsNotes, Enzymes, http://www.

cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Enzymes.topicArticleId-8741,articleId-8592.html Huxley L, Walter M,1998, Biology, Oxford, New York