BLG 143 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Formaldehyde, Allosteric Regulation, Carboxylic Acid
Document Summary
Stanley miller performed a breakthrough experiment in the study of chemical evolution. Boiled the molecules and sent electrical discharges and later found high quantities of hydrogen cyanide and formaldehyde. Contained two elements: an ocean and the atmosphere. Potential energy was very high in the atmosphere because of lightning and electric charges. Several of the meteorites that have struck earth recently contain amino acids indicating that these molecules can be produced in outer space. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins (20 of them) The structure of a protein: amino acid sequence, substructures called a-helices and b-pleated sheets, i(cid:374)tera(cid:272)tio(cid:374)s (cid:271)et(cid:449)ee(cid:374) a(cid:373)i(cid:374)o a(cid:272)ids that di(cid:272)tate a protei(cid:374)"s o(cid:448)erall shape, and combinations of individual proteins that make up larger molecules. In water (ph 7), the amino and carboxyl groups ionize to nh3 acids stay in solution and makes them more reactive. R-groups differ in their size, shape, reactivity, and interactions with water.