chapter 22.4 protiens and amino acids Flashcards
define enzyme
a biological catalyst made of proteins that increases the rates of biochemical reactions
(proteins that act as catalysts in biochemical reactions)
______ are the polymers of amino acids
proteins
what does an amino acid consist of?
carbon atom (called the alpha carbon) bonded to
- amine group
- R group (also called the side chain)
- carboxylic acid group
- hydrogen atom
how do amino acids differ from eachother?
the R groups
_____ are strung to make a protein
amino acids
all amino acids except _____ are chiral about the alpha carbon atom
glycine
what type of enantiomers are amino acids? L or D?
L
they rotate plain polarized light counter clockwise
how do amino acids link together?
through the reaction of the amine end of one amino acid with the carboxylic acid end of another
what is the resulting bond when two amino acids link together?
a peptide bond
when two amino acids are linked together by a peptide bond what is the resulting molecule?
dipeptide
define peptide bond
the amide group that joins two amino acids
define dipeptide
two amino acids linked together
when two or more amino acids link together what two distinct ends do they form?
an amino terminal (or N-terminal end)
a carboxylic acid terminal (or C-terminal end)
what are 3 amino acids joined together by peptide bonds called? what about 4?
tripeptide
tetrapeptide
(and so on)
what are short chains of amino acids called?
oligopeptides
