CHY 47.
1
DENATURATION OF PROTEINS
Activity Sheet
Names: Section: BSbiology2C Date: April 30,2021
CADELINA, Eloisa Marie A.
BORONG, Gaspar M
BORRERO, Victoria Catherine S
CAMAGAY, Clyde Maiko N
CASIÑO, Therese Anne B
Sample Observation
CONTROL Egg whites start out clear. They are almost 90% water, but the
other 10% is packed with proteins. Egg whites contain more
than 50% of the proteins found in the egg. The main protein in NOT
egg white is called albumin. The albumin or the protein are still OBSERVED
tightly bound up in their specific three-dimensional structure.
The control egg showed us that, when left at room
temperature, the egg whites stay clear, meaning the proteins
maintain their original shape. These proteins were not
denatured.
A As heat denatured the proteins in the egg white, it broke apart
(egg albumin and some of the bonds (mostly hydrogen bonds) that were holding
boiling water)
the proteins in their original shape. The proteins unfolded, OBSERVED
taking up more space (turning the gel white) and hardening
them in place next to one another.
B strands and chunks of “cooked” egg whites. These show how
(egg albumin and some of the proteins started to form abnormal bonds, so they OBSERVED
vinegar)
were “denatured.”
C Alcohol also denatures proteins. It does this the same way as
(egg albumin and heat, by breaking the bonds that hold parts of the protein in a
alcohol)
folded shape. Sometimes the alcohol molecules bond directly
to some of the parts of the protein, disrupting the normal way
the protein would bond to itself. So, alcohol is called a “bond
disruptor.” The proteins again unfolded, taking up more space
and hardening in place next to one another. This process took OBSERVED
much longer with alcohol than it did with heat, however. The
longer time for denaturation with alcohol is simply because it
spreads more slowly than heat.
The alcohol had to diffuse (or move through the fluid) into the
egg in order to affect the proteins it touched.
*Coagulation observed/not observed
Follow-up Questions
1. What was the purpose of the control?
A control group sometimes is also called a comparison group, it is a standard in which
comparisons are made in an experiment. The purpose of the control group in an experiment
is to understand the effect of a treatment which is unknown and comparisons between the
control group and the experimental group are used to measure the effect of the treatment.
We the members of this experiment changes the independent variable in the treatment
group and keep it constant in the control group.
The control group also ensures that the experiment actually works. It is also to make sure
the treatment you are suing in the experimental results, and not something outside the
experiment. A control group is also in a scientific experiment wherein it is a group separated
from the rest of the experiment, where the independent variable being tested cannot
influence the results. This isolates the independent variable's effects on the experiment and
can help rule out alternative explanations of the experimental results.
2. What common observation was noted in the experiment?
The common observation in the experiment is that the protein present in the egg albumin
break apart, compared to the control group which have still tightly bound up in their specific
three-dimensional structure. The different scenario the addition of boiling water, vinegar,
and alcohol creates a coagulation and thus this means the breaking apart of proteins.
DOCUMENTATION
Materials: CONTROL
ALCOHOL
Vinegar
Alcohol
Hot Water
VINEGAR
Egg (Albumin)/Egg white
HOT WATER
