Amino Acids

Lesson Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lecture, students should be able to: understand the structures and properties of amino acids know the groups of amino acid

What Are the Structures and Properties of Amino Acids, the Building Blocks of Proteins?

Amino acids contain a central tetrahedral carbon atom There are 20 common amino acids Amino acids can join via peptide bonds Several amino acids occur only rarely in proteins Some amino acids are not found in proteins

Many important biomolecules are chiral Achiral eg. Glycine The position of amino group on the left or right side of the -carbon determines the L or D designation. L-amino acids are found in proteins D-amino acids are often found in bacterial cell walls and in some antibiotics.

Amino Acids Building Blocks of Proteins

Amino Acids Can Join Via Peptide Bonds

20 Common Amino Acids

Non-polar amino acids NonPolar, uncharged amino acids Acidic amino acids Basic amino acids

(a) nonpolar (hydrophobic)

(a) nonpolar (hydrophobic)

(b) polar, neutral

(b) polar, neutral

c) acidic

(d) basic

Several Amino Acids Occur Rarely in Proteins

Hydroxylysine, hydroxyproline collagen Carboxyglutamate - blood-clotting proteins Pyroglutamate in bacteriorhodopsin Phosphorylated amino acids a signaling device

Amino acids can act as both acid and bases

Carboxyl group and amino group of the general structure charged at neutral pH Amino acids without charged groups on their side chains exist in neutral solutionzwitterion Neutral amino acids do not exist in the form NH2-CHR-COOH

Spectroscopic Properties
All amino acids absorb at infrared wavelengths Only Phe, Tyr, and Trp absorb UV Absorbance at 280 nm is a good diagnostic device for amino acids NMR spectra are characteristic of each residue in a protein

Separation of Amino Acids

Mikhail Tswett, a Russian botanist, first separated colorful plant pigments by chromatography Many chromatographic methods exist for separation of amino acid mixtures Ion exchange chromatography HighHigh -performance liquid chromatography

Chromatographic fractionation of a synthetic mixture of amino acids on ion exchange columns

End of lecture
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