I am going to investigate if the concentration of lipase affects the rate of digestion.

GCSE Science

Ben Williams Year 13

Biology Coursework

Aim

Introduction

The rate of a reaction can be affected by 4 main components;

Temperature
Concentration of Reactants
Surface Area
Catalyst

Temperature: The higher the temperature is the faster the atoms move about and more collisions will happen. The more collisions that happen the faster the rate of reaction will be.
Concentration of reactants: If there are more molecules of reactant in the solution, more useful collisions will take place. This would increase the rate of reaction.
Surface Area: If the reactant has a large surface area, there is more space for useful collisions to take place thus increasing the rate of reaction.
Catalyst: If a catalyst is present to rate of reaction is greatly increased. Catalysts are man made enzymes, enzymes are naturally made catalysts. Enzymes give the reactant a surface to stick to so there are more useful collisions therefore increasing the rate of reaction.

Lipids are made up of 3 fatty acids and glycerol. For every one glycerol there is three fatty acids (triglyceride). They are joined by the process of condensation by an ester bond.

Digestion of lipids occurs mainly in the duodenum of the small intestine. This is mainly due to the presence of bile. Bile gets added to the chyme as it leaves the stomach and passes the bile duct. The bile emulsifies the fats turning them from large insoluble molecules into small soluble molecules. Bile also helps to neutralize the very acidic chyme that leaves the stomach. ...