Thermal denaturation of proteins and chemical equilibrium

The thermal denaturation of proteins is considered as a process by means of which chemical equilibrium can be introduced to undergraduate students of Chemistry related curricula. In this approach chemical potential μ, Gibbs energy G, degree of advancement ξ and Le Châtelier principle are integrated with chemical equilibrium. With reference to α-Chymotrypsinogen A as a test case, the process is discussed in terms of a simplified two-state model. The activity is addressed to physical chemistry students in combination with computer-aided work mainly involving storage/manipulation of large data sets and plot preparation.