Biochemistry Flashcards
4 groups attached to an amino acid:
all attached to the central a-carbon
-amino group
-carboxylic acid group
-hydrogen atom
-an R group
Point of R group on amino acid:
determines chemistry and function of that amino acid
prokaryotes have —amino acids
d-amino acids
Stereochemistry of a-carbon:
L for all chiral amino acids; only one is not chiral; glycine bc hydrogen atom as R group
Side chains can be —– or ——, —– or——-, —– or ——-
polar/ non polar
aromatic/ nonaromatic
charged/uncharged
Nonpolar, nonaromatic amino acids:
glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, methionine, proline
aromatic amino acids:
tryptophan, phenylalanine, tyrosine
polar amino acids:
serine, threonine, asparagine, glutamine, cysteine
negatively charged/ acidic amino acids:
aspartate and glutamate
Positively charged/ basic amino acids:
lysine, arginine, histidine
what makes an amino acid hydrophobic?
what makes an amino acid hydrophilic?
has long alkyl side chains
has charges
amino acids are amphoteric:
they can accept or donate protons
the pka of a group is:
the pH at which half of the species are deprotonated
amino acid forms at different pH values:
acidic- low pH, fully protonated
pH near pI- neutral, zwitterion
basic- high pH, fully deprotonated
amino acid titration curves:
-curve is flat at the pka value of the amino acid
-curve is nearly vertical at the pI of the amino acid