The thermochemistry of reactions between alpha-s1-casein and calcium chloride.

The enthalpies of reactions between alpha-s1-casein and Ca2+ in solution were measured using a gradient layer calorimeter. The reactions are exothermic between 0 and 4.3 mM CaCl2. In the region of 4.3 mM CaCl2 there is a change to an endothermic reaction corresponding to micellisation. A calcium-binding curve has been obtained under the same conditions as the calorimetry experiments and this shows two sigmoidal binding phases. Turbidity measurements show that there is an association process corresponding to the second sigmoidal phase. A tentative interpretation of the heat curve in the region before micellisation is given in terms of the site binding of Ca2+, conformational changes in the protein and association. The main thermal processes are taken to be exothermic intramolecular hydrogen bonding induced by calcium binding and endothermic hydrophobic bonding.