Pediatricians become concerned about the potential for brain d...

Question

Pediatricians become concerned about the potential for brain damage when an infant's temperature approaches 105°F. Which class of organic molecules is most likely to be damaged by high temperature? Explain why.

Accepted Answer

Welcome back everyone. During the denaturation process, what happens to the protein when exposed to high temperatures? We've got choice. A, the protein's chemical bonds are strengthened. B the protein's native confirmation is altered C the protein becomes more reactive or D A combination reaction will take place. Let's begin by recalling that the process of de denaturation occurs when a protein's structure becomes distorted. Let's understand this by considering the following example, where we have a cup and within the cup. Let's imagine that it contains an egg white mixture. So we call that egg white is just the clear portion from an egg. It's like that liquid, clear portion. So let's la label that in. And let's say that it's held at room temperature to maintain that structure. Recall that the main protein making up an egg white is known as Ovalbumin. So we have Ovalbumin protein where in the liquid egg white state at room temperature is in its compact and folded state. And this is due to the non covalent bonds that hold the structure of the proteins in the egg white. Now, the non covalent bonds present in proteins would include things such as ionic bonds or vanderwal forces as well as any hydrophobic interactions occurring within the chains of the protein. And those interactions aid in the folding of the proteins making up the egg white. So now upon exposure of heat, we would now have a cooked egg or a cooked egg white. So we'll just draw the yoke in just. So we understand so upon exposure to this heat and now the cooked egg white state, those non covalent bonds that were important for holding the structure of the proteins making up the egg white are now disrupted. So the bonds are now disrupted and that leads to the process of denaturation. So now those once folded proteins are now in an unfolded state and now those unfolded proteins, a K A denatured proteins will interact with one another and that will lead to the process of coagulation, which is why we now have a more firm structure of the egg white in its cooked state. So it goes from being clear and runny before heat is added to then once cooked, the unfolded proteins which interact will create the white and firm state of the egg white. Now, there are also covalent bonds present within proteins and heat is not going to be strong enough to break those covalent bonds. And while this is not going to be visible to the human eye, if you use a mass spectrometer to analyze the proteins of the cooked egg white, you would be able to observe that there are the covalent bonds present still which correspond to the maintained primary amino acid sequence from the original state of the egg white in its liquid form to now its cooked state. So looking at our answer, choices, based on everything we've outlined choice. A which states that the protein's chemical bonds will be strengthened is actually going to be incorrect because as we understood, the non covalent bonds were weakened due to the process of denaturation. So we would correct choice A to say weakened. And for that reason, we're going to rule choice A out. Then choice B which states that the protein's native confirmation is altered. That actually makes sense because as we saw the egg white proteins begin in their more curved and folded structure in the liquid egg white state to once cooked, the proteins are now more firm and are no longer folded and curved. And so there is an alteration of the original state of the proteins before they are denatured. So B looks like a great answer. Then C says the proteins become more reactive and denaturation of the proteins is not directly related to the reactivity of the proteins. As we outlined, denaturation is going to be a physical process of the protein and leads to the loss of the structure and function of the proteins. So C we would rule out for that reason. Then we have choice. C A combination reaction will take place recall that a combination reaction is a type of chemical reaction. It's also known as a synthesis reaction. And it's when we have two or more reactants, we'll say A B which react together and combine to form a single product. In this case, A B. And as we outlined, denaturation is going to be a physical process because it leads to the loss of the structure and function of the proteins. So it's a physical process and not going to correspond to any chemical reactions occurring. So for that reason, let's rule out choice D and that leaves us with choice B as the only correct and final answer, which confirms that the protein's native confirmation is altered during the denatured denaturation process. When a protein is exposed to high temperatures, I hope that this made sense and let us know if you have any questions.

Pediatricians become concerned about the potential for brain damage when an infant's temperature approaches 105°F. Which class of organic molecules is most likely to be damaged by high temperature? Explain why.

Key Concepts

Proteins

Enzymes

Cell Membranes

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