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Specialty Chemistry Forums => Biochemistry and Chemical Biology Forum => Topic started by: Rados Joy on March 03, 2014, 03:15:26 AM

Title: any references for topic of "role of activated carrier molecule"?
Post by: Rados Joy on March 03, 2014, 03:15:26 AM

i need help for my discussion topic of "activated carrier molecules" on biochemistry. could you help for any references and articles about that topic. i have to make about 45min powerpoint presentation but i can't have enough resources.. plz help... thank you very much!  :)

Title: Re: any references for topic of "role of activated carrier molecule"?
Post by: Babcock_Hall on March 03, 2014, 10:06:45 AM

The term "activated carrier molecule" is unfamiliar to me.  Can you provide any context that would help explain what it means?

Title: Re: any references for topic of "role of activated carrier molecule"?
Post by: Rados Joy on March 03, 2014, 10:25:03 AM

Activated carriers couple energy release from spontaneous, energetically favorable reactions to energetically unfavorable reactions. ATP is the most widely used activated carrier molecule. NAD, NADP and Acetyl-CoA are another activated carriers.

Title: Re: any references for topic of "role of activated carrier molecule"?
Post by: Babcock_Hall on March 03, 2014, 12:07:25 PM

Forum rules require you to show an attempt before we can help you.  But I will give you a hint to help you get started.  You may want to distinguish NADH and NADPH from NAD and NADP, respectively, in your discussion.

Title: Re: any references for topic of "role of activated carrier molecule"?
Post by: Babcock_Hall on March 05, 2014, 07:44:25 PM

ATP and acetyl CoA each contain at least one high energy bond, which just means that the Gibbs' free energy of hydrolysis of this bond is large and negative.  Do you know which bonds have this property in each molecule?

Title: Re: any references for topic of "role of activated carrier molecule"?
Post by: Rados Joy on March 05, 2014, 10:36:52 PM

high energy bonds are Phosphate-phosphate bonds in ATP and thioester bond in acetyl CoA :)

Title: Re: any references for topic of "role of activated carrier molecule"?
Post by: Babcock_Hall on March 06, 2014, 11:06:03 AM

Good.  What searching tools are you using, and what articles have you turned up, so far?

Title: Re: any references for topic of "role of activated carrier molecule"?
Post by: Babcock_Hall on March 08, 2014, 11:59:40 AM

This article might not show up in a search, but it makes some good points.
Why nature chose phosphates, FH Westheimer, et al. Science 235, 1173 (1987); DOI: 10.1126/science.2434996

Professor Westheimer was a pioneer in the area of bioorganic chemistry.