Amino acids

Cards (11)

what are amino acids ?
Organic compounds that contain two functional groups:
basic amino (NH2) group
acidic carboxylic acid (COOH) group
how does the R-group affect an amino acid ?
it affects the…
size of an amino acid
polarity of an amino acid
name of an amino acid
what is the IUPAC name for this amino acid ?
2-aminobutanedioic Acid
what charge does a zwitterion have ?
Neutral charge
has Both A negatively charged group and a positively charged group
When we draw amino acids in zwitterion form we only ever show changes to the…
COOH group and the NH2 group bonded directly to central carbon atoms
how do zwitterions form ?
In neutral conditions the amino group acts like a base gaining a hydrogen atom
the carboxylic acid acts like an acid donating a proton (H-atom)
How do amino acids react in acidic condition ?
Amine groups gain a proton forming NH3+
what forms when an amino acid is in alkaline conditions ?
the COOH donates a proton to form COO-
What is the primary structure of a protein  
Sequence of amino acids in the chain - covalent bonds between amino acids
What is the secondary structure of a protein ?
hydrogen bonding between the delta negative oxygen (C=O) and the delta positive H (H-N)
Give reasons why designing enzyme inhibitors is really complex
enzymes are stereospecific
enzymes are made up of hundreds of amino acids
enzymes have a three dimensional shape
inhibitors might have enantiomers that interact differently with other enzymes