The coil–globule transition is a phenomenon observed in polymer science, particularly in the behavior of macromolecules such as proteins and synthetic polymers in solution. This transition refers to the change in the conformation of a polymer chain from a random coil (expanded, flexible form) to a globule (compact, more ordered form) in response to certain environmental conditions.
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The change of an isolated flexible polymer from an expanded coil toward a dense polymer globule as its solvent becomes less favorable. In the Flory approximation, , where the positive three-segment coefficient prevents collapse to zero size. Positive gives swollen-coil scaling, gives the theta temperature condition, and negative favors a dense state with . Finite chain length rounds the change; polymer aggregation is a distinct multi-chain process and must be controlled in an experiment.