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All polymers are made of repetitive units called monomers. Biopolymers often have a well-defined structure, though this is not a defining characteristic (example: lignocellulose ): The exact chemical composition and the sequence in which these units are arranged is called the primary structure , in the case of proteins.
The 20 amino acids that are encoded directly by the codons of the universal genetic code are called standard or canonical amino acids. A modified form of methionine (N-formylmethionine) is often incorporated in place of methionine as the initial amino acid of proteins in bacteria, mitochondria and plastids (including chloroplasts).
The sequence of the amino acids in the polypeptide backbone is known as the primary structure of the protein. Like almost all polymers, protein fold and twist, forming into the secondary structure, which is rigidified by hydrogen bonding between the carbonyl oxygens and amide hydrogens in the backbone, i.e. C=O---HN. Further interactions ...
Other monomer units, such as formaldehyde hydrates or simple aldehydes, are able to polymerize themselves at quite low temperatures (ca. −80 °C) to form trimers; [3] molecules consisting of 3 monomer units, which can cyclize to form ring cyclic structures, or undergo further reactions to form tetramers, [3] or 4 monomer-unit compounds.
The condensation reaction is used to synthetically produce nylon polymers in industry. Nylons must specifically include a straight chain monomer. The amide link is produced from an amine group (alternatively known as an amino group), and a carboxylic acid group. The hydroxyl from the carboxylic acid combines with a hydrogen from the amine, and ...
Amino acid N-carboxyanhydrides, also called Leuchs' anhydrides, are a family of heterocyclic organic compounds derived from amino acids. They are white, moisture-reactive solids. They have been evaluated for applications the field of biomaterials. [1] [2] [3]
Collagen has an unusual amino acid composition and sequence: Glycine is found at almost every third residue. Proline makes up about 17% of collagen. Collagen contains two unusual derivative amino acids not directly inserted during translation. These amino acids are found at specific locations relative to glycine and are modified post ...
These units form covalent β-(1→4)-linkages (like the linkages between glucose units forming cellulose). Therefore, chitin may be described as cellulose with one hydroxyl group on each monomer replaced with an acetyl amine group. This allows for increased hydrogen bonding between adjacent polymers, giving the chitin-polymer matrix increased ...