What enzyme is responsible for breaking down hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen gas upon contact?
Answer
Catalase enzyme
The bubbling and foaming observed when hydrogen peroxide is applied to organic matter, such as blood or tissue debris in a wound, is directly caused by the catalase enzyme. This enzyme is present in both the hydrogen peroxide compound itself and in the organic material present in the wound. Catalase facilitates a decomposition reaction, rapidly breaking down the hydrogen peroxide ($ ext{H}_2 ext{O}_2$) molecule into harmless components: water ($ ext{H}_2 ext{O}$) and oxygen gas ($ ext{O}_2$). This effervescence was historically misinterpreted as effective pathogen destruction, but it is simply the visible sign of this chemical breakdown occurring.
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