The coagulation of egg whites by boiling is an example of (a) saponification; (b) inversion of a sugar; (c) hydrolysis of a protein; (d) denaturation of a protein; (e) condensation of amino acids.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The correct answer is (d) denaturation of a protein.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the coagulation process

Coagulation of egg whites refers to the process when the egg whites transform from a liquid state to a solid state upon heating or boiling. This transformation occurs due to the unfolding of the proteins, followed by the formation of new protein-protein interactions.
02

Evaluate each option

Saponification involves the breakdown of fat due to an alkaline solution, so this doesn’t fit the context (a). Inversion of sugar is a conversion of complex sugars to simple sugars, unrelated to our case (b). Hydrolysis of protein refers to the breakdown of protein into its constituent amino acids with water, not happening during boiling an egg (c). Condensation of amino acids refers to the process where water is produced as a by-product, not applicable here (e). Lastly, denaturation of a protein refers to the structural change in the protein due to some external influence like heat, acids, or bases which causes the protein to lose its original properties (d). It seems to fit our process description.
03

Choose the correct option

From the evaluation in step 2, the denaturation of a protein (d) seems to accurately describe the process of the coagulation of egg whites by boiling. It involves a change in the protein structure, causing it to lose its original properties, something we know happens when we boil egg whites.

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