Alice, in Lewis Carroll's classic Alice in Wonderland, poses this question: "Is looking-glass milk good to drink?" Respond, and justify your answer based on the structure of organic molecules and the importance of isomers.
by 
elsulliv
ANSWERS: 3
-
Are you talking about L and D forms?
-
Did you just give me an order?
-
Many different isomers of molecules exist, but each different isomer has individual properties and a particular structure to suit its function. All of the proteins in the human genome are made of L-isomer amino acids. These isomers then form the specific secondary structures: alpha helices and beta pleated sheets (and supersecondary structures). The alpha helices made are always right-handed and the proteins formed from these such as receptors and enzymes would only work with molecules made of l-amino acids. The milk in the looking glass would be made of proteins with a mirror image structure ie the amino acids would be made of the d-isomer form. These would then form left-handed helices and mirror image secondary and tertiary structures. The substrate lactase in the milk would not be processed by the lactase enzymes in Alice because of the mirror image structure of the substrate which is not complimentary to the active site ie the d-amino acids in the milk cannot be processed by the l-amino acids within Alice. So although both isomers have the same composition it is their spatial arrangement that is key to their function.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC