B1.2 Molecules - Proteins

• Polypeptides are chains of amino acids joined together by condensation reactions
• The bond between two adjacent amino acids is called a peptide bond
• The general formula for an amino acid is NH2CHRCOOH.
• The groups that are used in forming the peptide bond is an amine group and carboxyl group
• Essential amino acids cannot be synthesized by the body and must be obtained from food.
• All the proteins produced by a cell, tissue or an organism is called a proteome
• The protein, haemoglobin, consists of four polypeptides
• Peptide chains can have any number of amino acids, and the amino acids can be in any order
• The albumen of the white of the fried egg has denatured on heating. This happens because an increase in vibrations break intermolecular bonds
• extremes of pH impact the structure of a protein by denaturing the protein by changing the 3D conformation