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Chapter 22: Problem 98

In general terms, what does the tertiary structure of a protein represent? Distinguish between the secondary and tertiary structures of a protein.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The tertiary structure of a protein represents its overall three-dimensional shape, showing the folding and interaction of different secondary structure elements and amino acid side chains. Secondary structures, such as alpha-helices and beta-sheets, are localized folding patterns primarily driven by hydrogen bonding between the peptide backbone. On the other hand, tertiary structures are more complex, involving various interactions like hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic interactions, and disulfide bonding among amino acid side chains and secondary structure elements.

Step by step solution

01

Defining Secondary Structure

Secondary structure represents the local, repetitive folding patterns of amino acids in a protein segment, primarily driven by hydrogen bonding between the peptide backbone. The two common secondary structure types are alpha-helices and beta-sheets.
02

Defining Tertiary Structure

Tertiary structure represents the overall three-dimensional shape of a protein, showing how different secondary structure elements fold and interact with each other in addition to the interactions between amino acid side chains. This folding is guided by interactions such as hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic interactions, and disulfide bonding.
03

Distinguishing Between Secondary and Tertiary Structures

The primary difference between secondary and tertiary structures is the level of complexity. Secondary structures arise from repetitive folding patterns in localized regions of a protein, while tertiary structures represent the overall three-dimensional folding and arrangement of different secondary structures and amino acid side chains. Secondary structures involve hydrogen bonding between backbone atoms, while ternary structures involve various types of interactions between amino acid side chains and different secondary structure elements.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Which of the noncyclic isomers of \(\mathrm{C}_{4} \mathrm{H}_{7} \mathrm{F}\) are optically active?

Draw all the structural isomers of \(\mathrm{C}_{5} \mathrm{H}_{10}\) . Ignore any cyclic isomers.

For each of the following, fill in the blank with the correct response. All of these fill-in-the-blank problems pertain to material covered in the sections on alkanes, alkenes and alkynes, aromatic hydrocarbons, and hydrocarbon derivatives. a. The first “organic” compound to be synthesized in the laboratory, rather than being isolated from nature, was , which was prepared from . b. An organic compound whose carbon–carbon bonds are all single bonds is said to be . c. The general orientation of the four pairs of electrons around the carbon atoms in alkanes is . d. Alkanes in which the carbon atoms form a single unbranched chain are said to be alkanes. e. Structural isomerism occurs when two molecules have the same number of each type of atom but exhibit different arrangements of the between those atoms. f. The systematic names of all saturated hydrocarbons have the ending added to a root name that indicates the number of carbon atoms in the molecule. g. For a branched hydrocarbon, the root name for the hydrocarbon comes from the number of carbon atoms in the continuous chain in the molecule. h. The positions of substituents along the hydrocarbon framework of a molecule are indicated by the of the carbon atom to which the substituents are attached. i. The major use of alkanes has been in reactions, as a source of heat and light. j. With very reactive agents, such as the halogen elements, alkanes undergo reactions, whereby a new atom replaces one or more hydrogen atoms of the alkane. k. Alkenes and alkynes are characterized by their ability to undergo rapid, complete reactions, by which other atoms attach themselves to the carbon atoms of the double or triple bond. l. Unsaturated fats may be converted to saturated fats by the process of . m. Benzene is the parent member of the group of hydrocarbons called hydrocarbons. n. An atom or group of atoms that imparts new and characteristic properties to an organic molecule is called a group. o. A alcohol is one in which there is only one hydrocarbon group attached to the carbon atom holding the hydroxyl group. p. The simplest alcohol, methanol, is prepared industrially by the hydrogenation of . q. Ethanol is commonly prepared by the of certain sugars by yeast. r. Both aldehydes and ketones contain the group, but they differ in where this group occurs along the hydrocarbon chain. s. Aldehydes and ketones can be prepared by of the corresponding alcohol. t. Organic acids, which contain the group, are typically weak acids. u. The typically sweet-smelling compounds called result from the condensation reaction of an organic acid with an .

Draw the structures for two examples of unsaturated hydrocarbons. What structural feature makes a hydrocarbon unsaturated?

What are the structural differences between \(\alpha\) - and \(\beta\) -glucose? These two cyclic forms of glucose are the building blocks to form two different polymers. Explain.
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