CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

biochemistry    →   biokemija

Biochemistry is the study of the chemistry of living organisms, especially the structure and function of their chemical components (principally proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic acids).

dehydrogenation    →   dehidrogenacija

Dehydrogenation is a chemical reaction in which hydrogen is removed from a compound. Dehydrogenation of organic compounds converts single carbon-carbon bonds into double bonds. It is usually affected by means of a metal catalyst or in biological systems by enzyme dehydrogenases.

enzyme    →   enzim

Enzyme is a protein that acts as a catalyst in biochemical reactions. Each enzyme is specific to a particular reaction or a group of similar reactions. Many require the association of certain nonprotein cofactors in order to function. The molecule undergoing a reaction (the substrate) binds to a specific active site on the enzyme molecule to form a short-lived intermediate: this greatly increases (by a factor of up to 10²⁰) the rate at which the reaction proceeds to form the product.

fermentation    →   fermentacija

Fermentation is a class of biochemical reactions that break down complex organic molecules (such as carbohydrates) into simpler materials (such as ethanol, carbon dioxide, and water). Fermentation reactions are catalyzed by enzymes.

radioactive indicator    →   radioaktivni indikator

By use of suitable radioactive isotopes biochemical processes can be observed in plants, animals and humans, by measuring radioactive radiation of radioactive indicator. Artificial radioactive isotopes have the same chemical properties as natural ones, which enable us to mark those natural isotopes with addition of artificial ones and in this way follow the path of those elements during a chemical reaction. One of the most important radioactive indicators is the radioactive carbon ¹⁴C.

substrate    →   supstrat

1. Substrate is a surface upon which an organism grows, sometimes by using chemicals of particles in the material as food

2. Substrate is a substance that is acted upon by an enzyme during a biochemical reaction.

3. Substrate is the material or product that is to be coated (for example, paint or laminate.).

glycoside    →   glikozid

Glycoside is one of a group of organic compounds in which a sugar group is bonded through its anomeric carbon to another group via a glycosidic bond. The sugar group is known as the glycon and the non-sugar group as the aglycon. According to the IUPAC definition, all disaccharides and polysaccharides are glycosides where the aglycone is another sugar.

In the free hemiacetal form, sugars will spontaneously equilibrate between the α and β anomers. However, once the glycosidic bond is formed, the anomeric configuration of the ring is locked as either α or β. Therefore, the alpha and beta glycosides are chemically distinct. They will have different chemical, physical, and biological properties. Many glycosides occur abundantly in plants, especially as flower and fruit pigments.

The term glycoside was later extended to cover not only compounds in which the anomeric hydroxy group is replaced by a group -OR, but also those in which the replacing group is -SR (thioglycosides), -SeR (selenoglycosides), -NR1R2 (N-glycosides), or even -CR1R2R3 (C-glycosides). Thioglycoside and selenoglycoside are legitimate generic terms; however the use of N-glycoside, although widespread in biochemical literature, is improper and not recommended here (glycosylamine is a perfectly acceptable term). C-Glycoside is even less acceptable. All other glycosides are hydrolysable; the C-C bond of C-glycosides is usually not. The use and propagation of names based on C-glycoside terminology is therefore strongly discouraged.

tryptophan    →   triptofan

Tryptophan is hydrophobic amino acids with aromatic side chain. Tryptophan is large aromatic residue that is normally found buried in the interior of a protein and is important for protein stability. Tryptophan has the largest side chain and is the least common amino acid in proteins. It has spectral properties that make it the best inherent probe for following protein folding and conformational changes associated with biochemical processes. It is an essential amino acid, which means that humans cannot synthesize it, so it must be ingested.

• Abbreviations: Trp, W
• IUPAC name: 2-amino-3-(1H-indol-3-yl)propanoic acid
• Molecular formula: C₁₁H₁₂N₂O₂
• Molecular weight: 204.23 g/mol