Denature — Science definition
To lose the normal 3-D shape (and therefore function), as when a protein is exposed to high heat or the wrong pH.
Where it is taught
- Enzymes — Investigating the Chemistry of Life, Life Science: Biology, Grade 10
In use
Push past that peak, though, and activity crashes: too much heat shakes the protein so violently that it denatures — its careful folding unravels, the active site loses its shape, and the substrate no longer fits.
Enzymes