Final answer:
Whisking introduces air into egg whites, leading to the denaturation of albumin, similar to when egg whites are boiled. Energy is needed to break hydrogen bonds, and at temperatures above 373 K, the process becomes spontaneous and irreversible as the Gibbs free energy decreases.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Importance of Air in Forming Egg White Foam
Whisking is important to incorporate the air into egg whites to form a foam. The process relates to the denaturation of albumin, the primary protein in egg whites. When whipped, egg whites undergo a transformation similar to when they are cooked. Denaturation involves the breaking of hydrogen bonds that hold the protein's structure together, which requires an input of energy (AH>0), leading to a more disorganized structure. When heat is applied, as in boiling, the added energy causes albumin to change from a well-ordered state into a disorganized solid where molecules aggregate, represented by an increase in entropy (AS > 0). This reaction becomes spontaneous at temperatures above 373 K due to the dominance of the TAS term over ΔH, making the process an irreversible one where the Gibbs free energy (ΔG) is less than zero (ΔG < 0).