The effects from combining urea and an alcohol on the heat-induced reversible denaturation of ribonuclease

The effects of a combination of an alcohol and urea on the transition temperature of bovine ribonuclease were investigated. The combined effects on the transition temperature of ribonuclease of a polyvalent alcohol and urea are about equal to the algebraic sum of the effects of each individual additive. The effects of a monovalent alcohol and urea are not cummulative, especially not at low temperatures (30 degrees C). The presence of urea decreases the hydrophobic effect of a monovalent alcohol, strongly at low temperatures, to a lesser degree at high temperatures (60 degrees C). Consequently, urea hinders the interhydrophobic interactions by affecting the water molecules.