Why is wort boiled during the beer-brewing process?

Boiling the wort is a critical stage in the beer-brewing process that serves several essential functions:

• Enzyme Inactivation: Boiling the wort in a kettle or copper arrests enzyme activity, ensuring the brewing process proceeds as intended.1
• Hop Extraction and Isomerization: Boiling allows for the extraction of humulones from hops. Specifically, heat isomerizes $\alpha$-acids into iso-$\alpha$-acids, which provide the characteristic bitter flavor of beer.2
• Sterilization: The boil, which typically lasts 60 to 90 minutes, sterilizes the wort.3
• Clarification and Purification: The process evaporates undesirable aromas and causes the precipitation of insoluble proteins, known as hot break or trub. These solids are subsequently removed to clarify the liquid before it is cooled in a heat exchanger and sent to fermentation.3