In this article we will discuss about the physical and chemical properties of amino acids. Important Physical Properties of Amino Acids: 1. Optical Isomerism: All amino acids, except glycine which has two H atoms on the α-carbon, have an asymmetric α-carbon (the 4 valence bonds are attached to different atoms or groups). As may be seen in figure 1-1, one [...]
In this article we will discuss about the two main types of amino acids, i.e, alphatic amino acids and cyclic amino acids. 1. Aliphatic Amino Acids: A. Hydrocarbon Chain Amino Acids: 1) Glycine (Gly) or glycocoll, or α-aminoacetic acid is the simplest of the amino acids because R = H: Glycine is very widely distributed in proteins; it is particularly [...]
In this article we will discuss about the structure and properties of hemoglobins. Structure of Hemoglobins: As indicated by their name, hemoglobins consist of a prosthetic group; the heme (4%) and a protein part: the globin (96%). A. Heme: This is the prosthetic group common to various hemoglobins (while globin varies in different hemoglobins). It contains one molecule of protoporphyrin [...]