Amino Acids Flashcards
What does it mean to describe an amino acid as aliphatic?
it means its carbons form a chain, not an aromatic ring
Which 3 amino acids are non polar and AROMATIC?
Tryptophan (Trp, W)
Tyrosine (Tyr, Y)
Phenylalanine (Phe, F)
Tyrone be trippin’ and phen-aggling
Which 3 amino acids are positively charged and polar?
Histidine (His, H)
Arginine (Arg, R)
Lysine (Lys, K)
Shallow ‘HAL’ had a positive message (for Our Janine)
Which 2 amino acids are negatively charged and polar?
Aspartic Acid (Asp, D) Glutamic Acid (Glu, E)
Negative aspirations are glued to my 2 acids
Which 7 amino acids have side chains with pKas?
Tyrosine (Tyr) Lysine (Lys) Histidine (His) Glutamic Acid (Glu) Asparagine (Asp) Cysteine (Cys) Arginine (Arg)
Pkas the tyrant likes his gloomy asparagus acid from the Cystine Chapel in Argentina
What is the pka for the side chain in Asparagine (Asp)?
3.9
What is the pka for the side chain in Glutamic Acid (Glu)?
4.2
What is the pka for the side chain in Histidine (His)?
6
What is the pka for the side chain in Cysteine (Cys)?
8.3
What is the pka for the side chain in Lysine (Lys)?
10.0
What is the pka for the side chain in Tyrosine (Tyr)?
10.1
What is the pka for the side chain in Arginine (Arg)?
12.5
What is the pka (generally) for an amino acid’s COOH?
2
What is the pka (generally) for an amino acid’s NH3+?
9.5
What does it mean to say that an amino acid is amidic?
It means that amino acid consists of, contains, or is concerned with an amide group.
what 7 properties can be used to compare amino acids?
amino acids can be compared by whether they are:
alipathic (in a chain) aromatic (in a ring) acidic basic Sulfur-containing amidic (amide containing) hydroxylic (hydroxyl containing)
How can you tell if an amino acid is non-polar?
Its R groups is usually primarily composed of hydrogens and carbons
(but methionine is an exception because it has a sulfur, which is almost the same electronegativity as carbon)
How can you tell if an amino acid is acidic?
It has COOH in its R group
and/or has ‘acid’ in the name!
How can you tell if an amino acid is basic?
It has an amine in its R group
How can you tell if a POLAR amino acid is neither acidic nor basic?
Its R group usually has alcohol or amide
or
it’s a cysteine
Which amino acids have beta branches?
Valine
Isoleucine
Threonine
What does it mean to say that an amino acid has beta branch?
It has 2 NON hydrogen atoms on the beta carbon
