Engaging students in more authentic science practice is a goal for many laboratory programs. Inquiry-based laboratory experiences provide students the opportunity for more independence in designing experiments and interpreting the results in a meaningful way.  An experiment to explore the enzyme kinetics associated with the browning of apples (and similar fruits) was developed for the physical chemistry on-line (PCOL) project and revised for the POGIL physical chemistry laboratory project. In this experiment students describe the Michaelis-Menten mechanism for enzyme catalysis, including explaining the meaning of the parameters. The experiment requires students to use a number of skills, including analyzing and manipulating equations and graphical representations to appropriately model experimental results. The experiment can be extended to have students study the inhibition of the reaction, including determining the type of inhibition. An overview of the experiment will be presented along with strategies for implementation in environments where students perform the experiment simultaneously and using a “round-robin” approach.

How to make the most appealing fruit salad: An inquiry-based enzyme kinetics physical chemistry laboratory

249th National Meeting (2015)

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