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Biomolecules

Question
CBSEENCH12009609

The tertiary structure of many proteins dissolved in water is disrupted by heating above 80°C, but primary structure is unaffected. Explain.

Solution

In the primary structure of proteins, the amino acid units are joined together by strong covalent bonds in a linear polymeric form. However, in the tertiary structure of proteins, the individual polypeptide chains are extensively coiled into globular like structure, with hydrogen bonds between carboxyl and amino acids.
When a protein dissolved in water is heated above 80°C rearrangement of secondary and tertiary structures occurs, since heat can cause disruption of these comparatively weaker forces of attraction. However, the primary structure is not affected, since it involves comparatively much stronger covalent bonds between various amino acid units.