Do alcohol and heat denature protein in a different way?

Question

So they both denature protein – but are the result or procedure any different? If so, how exactly?

In: 35

Answer 1

The reason they denature protein isn’t quite the same, but the results are the same. Protein is a long series of amino acids, but it folds into a structure held together by hydrogen bonds, which are weak bonds between relatively positively charged hydrogens and relatively negatively charged other atoms. Those bonds hold the protein into a 3D shape instead of just a ribbon.

When the bonds are broken by heat or alcohol, the protein becomes a floppy ribbon. Proteins work entirely by their shape, so losing the shape means they lose their specific nature as a specific protein: they’re denatured.