Textbook Guide Chemistry: Chiral Ligand, Protease, Disulfide
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CHM136H1 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
25. 1 introduction to amino acids, peptides, and proteins. An amino acid consists of an amino group, a carboxylic acid group, and an r group. Alpha ((cid:417)) amino acids are amino acids that have their functional groups separated by only one carbon atom. The central carbon of the alpha ((cid:417)) amino acids is called the (cid:417) carbon. The (cid:417) carbon is a chirality center as long as the r group attached is not a hydrogen atom. Peptide bonds are amide linkages that link amino acids together. Peptides are short chains of amino acids. A dipeptide consists of two amino acids; a tripeptide consists of three amino acids; and so on. Chains consisting of less than 40 or 50 amino acids are called polypeptides. Proteins are bulky compounds called for the chains of more than 50 amino acid units. Enzymes are proteins that serve as catalysts for various reactions inside living organisms. Only 20 amino acids are found in proteins.
