There are two groups of substances in nature: organic and inorganic. The latter include compounds such as hydrocarbons, alkynes, alkenes, alcohols, lipids, nucleic and other acids, proteins, carbohydrates, amino acids. What these substances are for, we will tell in this article. All organic compounds contain carbon and hydrogen atoms. They may also contain oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen and other elements. The science that studies proteins, acids, oxides, amino acids is chemistry. It explores the properties and characteristics of each group of substances.
Amino acids - what are these substances for?
They are very important for the body of any living creature on the planet, as they are a component of the most significant substances - proteins. In total, there are twenty-one amino acids from which these compounds are formed. Each contains atoms of hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon and oxygen. The chemical structure of these substances has an amino group NH2, from which the name comes.
How amino acids make up proteins?
Dataorganic substances are formed in four stages, their structure consists of primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures. Each of them has specific properties of the protein. Primary determines the number and order of placement of amino acids in the polypeptide chain. The secondary is an alpha helix or beta structure. The former are formed due to the twisting of the polypeptide chain and the occurrence of hydrogen bonds within one.
The second - due to the emergence of bonds between groups of atoms of different polypeptide chains. The tertiary structure is the interconnected alpha helices and beta structures. It can be of two types: fibrillar and globular. The first is a long thread. Proteins with such a structure are fibrin, myosin, located in muscle tissues, and others. The second has the form of a coil; globular proteins include, for example, insulin, hemoglobin, and many others. In the body of living beings, special cell organelles, ribosomes, are responsible for the synthesis of proteins from amino acids. Information about the proteins to be produced is encoded in DNA and carried to ribosomes by RNA.
What are amino acids?
Compounds from which proteins are formed, there are only twenty-one in nature. Some of them the human body is able to synthesize in the course of metabolism (metabolism), while others are not. In general, in nature there are such amino acids: histidine, valine, lysine, isoleucine, leucine, threonine, methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, cysteine,tyrosine, arginine, alanine, glutamine, asparagine, glycine, proline, carnitine, ornithine, taurine, serine. The first nine of the amino acids listed above are essential. There are also conditionally essential - those that the body can use instead of irreplaceable in extreme cases. These are, for example, tyrosine and cysteine. The first can be used instead of phenylalanine, and the second - if there is no methionine. Essential amino acids in foods are a prerequisite for a he althy diet.
What food do they contain?
- Valine - meat, fish.
- Histidine - buckwheat, cereals, red fish, pork, poultry.
- Isoleucine - eggs, meat, fish, milk, cheese, cottage cheese.
- Leucine - same as isoleucine.
- Methionine - cereals, peanuts, walnuts, pistachios, grains.
- Threonine - meat, cereals, mushrooms.
- Tryptophan - turkey, rabbit, pork, horse mackerel.
- Phenylalanine - meat, beans, peas, lentils, soybeans, fish, cottage cheese, milk, cheese.
All other amino acids in foods consumed by humans may not be contained, since the body is able to produce them on its own, but it is still desirable that some of them come from food. Most of the non-essential amino acids are found in the same foods as the essential ones, i.e. meat, fish, milk - those foods that are rich in protein.
The role of each amino acid in the human body
Each of these substances performs a specific function in the body. Essential for a completeAmino acids are indispensable for life, so it is very important to consume foods with sufficient amounts of them.
Since the main building material for our body is protein, we can say that the most important and necessary substances are amino acids. Why are irreplaceable, we will now tell you. As already mentioned above, this group of amino acids includes histidine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, threonine, methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan. Each of these chemical compounds plays a specific role in the body. So, valine is necessary for full growth, so foods high in it must be contained in sufficient quantities in the diet of children, adolescents and athletes who need to increase the concentration of muscle mass. Histidine also plays an important role - it participates in the process of tissue regeneration, is part of hemoglobin (which is why, with a low content in the blood, it is recommended to increase the amount of buckwheat porridge consumed). Leucine is needed by the body in order to synthesize proteins, as well as to maintain the activity of the immune system at the proper level.
Lysine - without this substance, calcium simply will not be absorbed in the body, therefore, a shortage of this amino acid should not be allowed - you need to include more fish, cheese and other dairy products in your diet. Tryptophan is needed for the production of vitamin B, as well as hormones that regulate hunger and mood. This substance is part of drugs that help calm and eliminate insomnia. Phenylalanine is used by the body to produce hormones such as tyrosine and adrenaline. This substance can also be part of medications that are prescribed for insomnia or depression.
Amino acids in terms of chemistry
You already know that the components of proteins and vital substances for humans are amino acids. What these compounds are for, we have already considered, now let's move on to their chemical properties.
Chemical properties of amino acids
Each of them is a little individual, although they have common features. Since the composition of amino acids can be different and include different chemical elements, the properties will be slightly different. A feature common to all substances of this group is the ability to condense to form peptides. Amino acids can also react with nitrous acid to form hydroxy acids, water and nitrogen.
In addition, they interact with alcohols. In this case, the hydrochloride s alt of an ether and water are formed. For such a reaction, the presence of hydrochloric acid in the gaseous aggregate state as a catalyst is necessary.
How to detect their presence?
To determine the presence of these substances, there are special qualitative reactions of amino acids. For example, to detect cysteine, you need to add lead acetate, as well as use heat and an alkaline medium. Whereinlead sulfide should form, which precipitates black. Also, the amount of an amino acid in a solution can be determined by adding nitrous acid to it. They recognize this by the amount of nitrogen released.
