Denaturanter

Denaturanter, more commonly called denaturants in English, are substances that cause denaturation by disrupting the structure of macromolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, or other polymers. They can also refer to agents added to liquids to make them undrinkable, a usage common in industry and regulation. In the latter sense, denaturants render a usable substance unusable for consumption without removing the chemical’s functional properties.

In biochemistry, protein denaturants are typically classified as chaotropic agents or detergents. Chaotropic denaturants such as urea and guanidinium chloride disrupt noncovalent interactions that stabilize a protein’s folded state, leading to unfolding. Detergents like sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) can also denature by coating the protein and perturbing hydrophobic and ionic interactions. Some denaturants act reversibly (e.g., urea under controlled conditions), while others can cause irreversible changes. Temperature and extreme pH can serve as physical denaturants that unfold proteins or nucleic acids.

Denaturation of nucleic acids can be achieved chemically or thermally. Formamide and urea lower the melting temperature of DNA or RNA, facilitating strand separation in laboratory procedures. Heat-induced denaturation is widely used in processes such as PCR and molecular hybridization experiments.

In industry, denaturants are used to deter drinking of certain products, most notably denatured alcohol, which contains additives such as methanol, isopropanol, or bittering agents to prevent misuse.

Denaturants are chosen by their specific effects on the target macromolecule and the desired reversibility of denaturation.