Proteins Flashcards
How can proteins be classified?
As fibrous or globular?
What do fibrous proteins make up?
Tissue such as muscle.
What do globular proteins make up?
Enzymes.
What are proteins?
Natural polymers formed by joining together thousands of amino acids.
What are the two functional groups on an amino acid?
The amino group and the carboxyl group.
What kind of reaction is the joining together of amino acids?
Condensation.
What is the new bond formed in protein molecules where amino acids have joined?
A peptide or amide link.
What are essential amino acids?
Amino acids that the body cannot produce so they must come from our diet.
What reaction occurs when proteins are broken up into amino acids during digestion?
Hydrolysis.
How are proteins broken down?
Water molecules pull apart the peptide links of the protein molecule leaving separate amino acids.
What is an enzyme?
A biological catalyst.
What is chromatography?
The separation of a mixture or compound into its components.
How can chromatography be used to identify the amino acids in a protein?
Some of the hydrolysed protein is spotted onto filter paper alongside known amino acids. The paper is placed in a solvent which rises up the paper carrying the amino acids at different rates. The amino acid mixture is then compared to the known amino acids.
