Question

Question 30 How can a highly concentrated salt denature a protein? Due to the increase in the pH Due to the mechanical forces involved Salts can't never denature a protein Due to the interactions of cations and anions with the salt D Question 31 2 pts Alpha helix and beta pleated sheets are examples of which level of protein structure?

Answer 1

=> Due to the interactions of Cations and Anions with the salt

Proteins may be thought of as beads (amino-acids), forming a chain. Proteins fold into their final shape because some of these beads are hydrophobic amino-acids which want to get out of water and pack up against other hydrophobic amino acids (grease likes grease and not water). This process is called hydrophobic collapse. The amino acids also have an electrostatic component and need to pack up against other electrostatic components. In high salt concentration, one disrupts the electrostatic interactions because the salt competes for the electrostatic interactions within the protein weakening them. Some salts also disrupt the structure of water which weakens the interactions pushing the protein into its shape. In summary, depending on the salt and the concentration, salt can denature a protein by competing for electrostatic interactions within the protein replacing them with protein-salt interactions or disrupt the structure of water that allows both the grease and charge to weaken.