Answer:
The chemist's proposition would be classified as a hypothesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
The chemist's proposition, that the large molecule is folded in a way that causes it to react differently than expected, is a proposal, idea or explanation, that may not be proven yet, but it is something that can be tested using a series of experiments. That is what makes it a hypothesis. A hypothesis is an explanation that is put forward to explain certain facts, it can be tested through experimentation and observation. If the series of experiments confirms the hypothesis, then it would be considered more likely to be true. But hypothesis are open for change, for being rejected or being accepted, based on the results of the experiment. A scientific law is a statement that describes a phenomenon that has been consistently observed and is accepted as true, usually based on numerous experiments and observations. A theory, on the other hand, is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world, based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and experimentation.