MCAT Kaplan Flashcards
α-carbon
The carbon adjacent to a carbonyl; in amino acids, the chiral stereocenter in all amino acids except glycine
α-hydrogen
hydrogen atoms connected to α-carbons adjacent to carbonyls
α-state
a magnetic state seen in NMR spectroscopy in which nuclei have magnetic moments that are aligned with an incident magnetic field, thus having lower energy
absolute conformation
the exact spatial arrangement of atoms or groups in a chiral molecule around a single chiral atom, designated by (R) or (S)
acetal
a functional group that contains a carbon atom bonded to two -OR groups, an alkyl chain, and a hydrogen atom
achiral
a molecule that either does not contain a chiral center or contains chiral centers and a plane of symmetry; as such, it has a superimposable mirror image
acid dissociation constant (Ka)
a measurement of the strength of an acid in solution; the higher the Ka, the lower the Pka and the stronger the acid
affinity chromatography
a special type of column chromatography which a column is customized to bind a substance of interest
aldehyde
a functional group that contains a carbonnyl and a hydrogen (RCOH); always found at the end of a chain
aldol condensation
a reaction which an aldehyde or keytone acts as both the electohile and nucleophile, resulting in the formation of a carbon-carbon bond in a new molecule called an aldol
alkane
a simple hydrocarbon molecule with the formula CnH2n+2
amide
a functional group containing a carbonyl and an amino group (RCONR2)
amino acids
dipolar compounds that contain an amide and a carboxylic acid attached to a single carbon (the alpha carbon); building blocks of peptides
amphoteric
describes molecules that can act as both acids and bases
