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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

The Identification Of Amino Acids By Interpretation Of Titration Curves: An Undergraduate Experiment For Biochemistry, Cassidy M. Dobson, Nathan S. Winter Dec 2014

The Identification Of Amino Acids By Interpretation Of Titration Curves: An Undergraduate Experiment For Biochemistry, Cassidy M. Dobson, Nathan S. Winter

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Undergraduate biochemistry students should have great familiarity with titration curves. These curves allow the prediction of protonation states, charges, and isoelectric points. Here we describe an experiment in which students identify four amino acids based on their titration behavior. Students make solutions of each unknown amino acid and monitor the change in pH upon adding aliquots of a strong base. They identify the amino acids based on the shapes of the curves. They annotate the plots with isoelectric points, pKas, buffering regions and the structures of the amino acids.


A Facile Route To Tailoring Peptide-Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles Using Glutathione As A Synthon, Rosina Ho Wu, Tan P. Nguyen, Grant W. Marquart, Thomas J. Miesen, Theresa Mau, Marilyn R. Mackiewicz May 2014

A Facile Route To Tailoring Peptide-Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles Using Glutathione As A Synthon, Rosina Ho Wu, Tan P. Nguyen, Grant W. Marquart, Thomas J. Miesen, Theresa Mau, Marilyn R. Mackiewicz

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

The preparation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) of high purity and stability remains a major challenge for biological applications. This paper reports a simple synthetic strategy to prepare water-soluble peptide-stabilized AuNPs. Reduced glutathione, a natural tripeptide, was used as a synthon for the growth of two peptide chains directly on the AuNP surface. Both nonpolar (tryptophan and methionine) and polar basic (histidine and dansylated arginine) amino acids were conjugated to the GSH-capped AuNPs. Ultracentrifugation concentrators with polyethersulfone (PES) membranes were used to purify precursor materials in each stage of the multi-step synthesis to minimize side reactions. Thin layer chromatography, transmission electron …


Murchison Chondrite, Marisol Chirinos Jan 2014

Murchison Chondrite, Marisol Chirinos

Natural Sciences Student Research Presentations

Murchson Chondrite is a carbonaceous meteorite that fell in a small town called Murchson in Victoria, Australia, on September 28, 1969. It is believed to be one of the most primitive meteorites to fall on earth. Amino acides found in Murchison differ in structures from amino acids found on Earth. While the carbon atom in the carboxylic acid and amion group of biological terrestrial amino acids have a hydrogen atom attached to it, the Murchison's amino acids have a methyl group instead.