Question

If a protein is heated to a high temperature, what do you predict would be the most likely effect on the protein?

Answer 1

The non-bonded interactions between non-adjacent amino acids which *hold the protein in its folded shape* are "low energy bonds." That means that they form and break readily, with small inputs of energy. The free energy diagram for it looks something like this (the bottom curve), with a covalently bond shown for reference:



It means that relatively low inputs of energy - like thermal energy - readily disrupt these bonds...