Proteins Flashcards
What is the structure of an amino acid?
Central carbon atom, covalently bound to
- Amino group
- Carboxyl group
- Hydrogen atom
- R group (side chain)
How do amino acids ionise?
Amino group gains hydrogen ion
NH2 + H+ —–> NH3+
Carboxyl group gives up hydrogen ion
COOH —–> COO- + H+
Which group in the amino acid is acidic?
The carboxyl group
Which group in the amino acid is basic?
The amino group
How are amino acids classified? Why?
Based on the properties of the R groups
Because in polypeptide chains, only the hydrogen atom and the R group of the amino acids remains
What is an amino acid residue?
What remains of an amino acid after it has been jointed to another amino acid
- R group
- hydrogen atom
What are the types of properties of the R group?
Chemical properties
Physical properties
What are the possible chemical properties of the R group?
Polar/non-polar
Hydrophobic/hydrophilic
Acidic/basic/neutral
What are the possible physical properties of the R group?
Aliphatic/aromatic
What does the pKa value of amino acids measure?
How acidic the amino acids are
What does a low pKa value mean?
The amino acid is more acidic
What does a high pKa value mean?
The amino acid is less acidic
more basic
What happens to the amino acid if pH > pKa? Why?
Higher pH means fewer hydrogen ions present
amino acid gives up hydrogen ions
becomes deprotonated
What happens to the amino acid if pH < pKa? Why?
Lower pH means more hydrogen ions present
amino acid takes up hydrogen ions
becomes protonated
What is physiological pH?
7.4
What is the primary structure of a protein?
Amino acids joined together in a linear chain
What reaction occurs when two amino acids are joined together?
amino acid1 + amino acid 2 —–> polypeptide + water
What bond joins two amino acids together?
Peptide bond
What is the amino terminus of a polypeptide?
The amino group NH2 end of the polypeptide chain
What is the carboxyl terminus of a polypeptide?
The carboxyl group COOH end of the polypeptide chain
What are the properties of peptide bonds?
Planar
Rigid
Trans conformation
What is meant by peptide bonds being planar?
The central carbon atom
N-H
C=O
are all in the same plane