What would happen in this experiment?

[BlueSpike]

lets say I have a powder of an enzyme which converts fatty acids into hydrogen peroxide. i fill a cup full of a concentrated solution of fatty acids and drop the enzyme into the cup. hydrogen peroxide is an oxidizer so im wondering if this could make an explosive (concentrated enzyme + concentrated fatty acid solution = fiery explosion?)

 

Note: purely hypothetical guys, I'm wondering what enzymes are capable of

Edited May 9, 2014 by BlueSpike

[Elite Engineer]

might be exothermic with bubbling at most, but not HIGHLY exothermic to the point of fiery explosion. Only way you'd get enough energy to cause an explosion/ massive heat release would be to break the peroxide bonds of the newly synthesized hydrogen peroxide..i.e. a catalyst...of course under pressure... but at that point were talking about explosives... and that's a no no.

 

I don't know off hand of any enzymes that convert fatty acids to H2O2.

 

~ee

[BlueSpike]

d amino acid oxidase does, as does fatty acid oxidase...

 

and that isn't true, because there's a video on youtube showing hydrogen peroxide causing leather to catch fire

Youtube: 99% hydrogen peroxide on leather

 

h2o2 is a very strong oxidant and this reactivity is used as an advantage in spacecraft propellant

 

There's an enzyme which does break down hydrogen peroxide, called catalase

Edited May 11, 2014 by BlueSpike

[John Cuthber]

The fatty acid oxidase certainly needs oxygen to work (the hydrogen peroxide is a by-product).

there's a paper on the measurement of the rate by looking at the removal of oxygen here

http://www.jbc.org/content/173/2/753.full.pdf?origin=publication_detail

 

The other oxidase enzyme also will need to use some other oxidant (most probably oxygen)

"An oxidase is any enzyme that catalyzes an oxidation-reduction reaction involving molecular oxygen (O₂) as the electron acceptor. In these reactions, oxygen is reduced to water (H₂O) or hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂)."

from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxidase

so

So the answer to the question as asked (i fill a cup full of a concentrated solution of fatty acids and drop the enzyme into the cup.) is "nothing much".

There will be a slow reaction as the air diffuses into the mixture and that will make a little hydrogen peroxide.

That peroxide will start to oxidise anything present. The easiest target for oxidation is the enzyme.

So, after a while all the enzyme will be destroyed and the reaction will stop.

Edited May 11, 2014 by John Cuthber