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Thread: Amino Acids are driving me UP THE WALL!!!

  1. #1
    Registered User LAGC's Avatar

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    Angry Amino Acids are driving me UP THE WALL!!!



    How in the FSCK are we supposed to memorize all 20 of these?

    Here's what I got so far...

    [Long-Chain]

    Lysine (L for Long, but not shaped like an L like Leucine)
    Arginine (arGON further -- even longer -- longest of them all)

    [Shapes]

    Valine has the 'V' shape at the end
    Leucine has the 'L' shape at the end
    Alanine has the 'A' shape (more like the peace symbol without the circle around it)
    Phenylalanine (Alanine with the lone phenyl group attached at the end)
    Serine has the 'S' shape (not counting the carboxylic acid (COOH) group)
    Proline has the cyclic nitro group that looks like you could go bowling with it (Proline=Bowling)

    [Matched Pairs]

    Glutamine (with the nitro group on top) and Glutamic acid (with the alcohol group instead) are pretty much the same.
    Asparagine (with the nitro group on top) and Aspartic acid (with the alcohol group instead) are pretty much the same.
    (A comes before G, so the A's are shorter than the G's)

    [Sulfurs]

    Cysteine (S as in Sistine Chapel)
    Methionine (only Thiol (-SH) with a Methyl group coming off it)

    [Weirdos]

    Tryptophan's the only one without a "-ine" ending with the weird double cyclic carbon rings going on, easy enough to remember on sight.
    Histidine with the double NH groups on a cyclic carbon ring.

    --------------------------------------------------

    But how the hell am I supposed to memorize the other 4?

    Glycine is the shortest, so that one's pretty easy. Threonine? Tyrosine? Isoleucine? How the hell to tell them apart?

    Goddess help me if I have to draw any of these from scratch...



    (Why, oh why, did I take organic chemistry as an elective??)
    "That tyranny has all the vices both of democracy and oligarchy is evident. As of oligarchy so of tyranny, the end is wealth; (for by wealth only can the tyrant maintain either his guard or his luxury). Both mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms." -- Aristotle, Book V, 350 B.C.E

  2. #2
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    Try taking them as suppliments and you get to hear your tummy gurgling all night long with mobile gas bubbles and eventual god awfull smelling farts.

  3. #3
    Senior Member Kadmos's Avatar

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    Hope this helps, good luck.


  4. #4
    Team Guns Network Silver 04/2013 alismith's Avatar

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    Would making flash cards help?
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    Senior Member Oswald Bastable's Avatar

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    Why am I not surprised. Even the most simple cause/effect events of reality have you baffled.
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  6. #6
    Registered User LAGC's Avatar

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    Quote Originally Posted by alismith View Post
    Would making flash cards help?
    That's a good idea. I might have to try that. I don't think I have any 3x5 cards laying around, but I do have a bunch of glossy recipe cards that might do the trick.

    Good suggestion.
    "That tyranny has all the vices both of democracy and oligarchy is evident. As of oligarchy so of tyranny, the end is wealth; (for by wealth only can the tyrant maintain either his guard or his luxury). Both mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms." -- Aristotle, Book V, 350 B.C.E

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