hard · MCAT

Protein folding is often described as a spontaneous process (Δ G < 0) even though it results in a more ordered protein structure (reduced protein entropy).

What explains this thermodynamic favorability?

  1. The increase in entropy of the surrounding water molecules due to the hydrophobic effect.
  2. The process is actually non-spontaneous and requires ATP chaperones to proceed.
  3. The decrease in enthalpy (Δ H < 0) from the breaking of hydrogen bonds with water.
  4. The formation of many strong covalent peptide bonds during the folding process.

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