CHEMISTRY GLOSSARY

serine    →   serin

Serine is neutral amino acids with polar side chains. It is one of two hydroxyl amino acids. Both are commonly considered to by hydrophilic due to the hydrogen bonding capacity of the hydroxyl group. Serine often serves as a nucleophile in many enzyme active sites, and is best known for its role in the serine proteases. Serine is a site of phosphorylation and glycosylation which is important for enzyme regulation and cell signaling. It is not essential to the human diet, since it is synthesized in the body from other metabolites, including glycine.

• Abbreviations: Ser, S
• IUPAC name: 2-amino-3-hydroxypropanoic acid
• Molecular formula: C₃H₇NO₃
• Molecular weight: 105.09 g/mol

solid state    →   čvrsto agregatno stanje

Solid state is characterised by a constant shape and volume. Particles are placed very close to one another and have efect one on another with great attraction forces. Solid bodies do not assume the shape of the container in which they are put.

standard    →   standard

Standards are materials containing a known concentration of an analyte. They provide a reference to determine unknown concentrations or to calibrate analytical instruments.

The accuracy of an analytical measurement is how close a result comes to the true value. Determining the accuracy of a measurement usually requires calibration of the analytical method with a known standard. This is often done with standards of several concentrations to make a calibration or working curve.

A primary standard is a reagent that is extremely pure, stable, has no waters of hydration, and has a high molecular weight.

A secondary standard is a standard that is prepared in the laboratory for a specific analysis. It is usually standardised against a primary standard.

standard deviation    →   standardna devijacija

Standard deviation (σ) is a measure of the dispersion of a set of data from its mean. Standard deviation is a statistical term that measures the amount of variability or dispersion around an average

Suppose there are many measurements of a quantity presumed to be similar, like the size of peas in a pod. If the number of readings for each size were plotted, a bell-shaped curve would probably result, with a few small and large peas and most clustered around the average size. Around two-thirds of all measurements fall in the range spanned by the standard deviation, a measure of the spread.

sugar    →   šećer

Sugar is any of a group of water-soluble carbohydrates of relatively low molecular weight and typically having a sweet taste. The group comprises mainly monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, galactose), disaccharides (sucrose, lactose, maltose), and trisaccharides (raffinose). Many monosaccharides and disaccharides fairly commonly found in nature bear names reflecting the source from which they were first isolated. For example, glucose is also known as grape sugar, lactose as milk sugar, and maltose as malt sugar. In everyday usage, the name is often used to refer specifically to sucrose (table sugar, cane sugar, beet sugar).

threonine    →   treonin

Threonine is neutral amino acids with polar side chains. It differs from serine by having a methyl substituent in place of one of the hydrogens on the β carbon. Threonine is a site of phosphorylation and glycosylation which is important for enzyme regulation and cell signaling. It is an essential amino acid, which means that humans cannot synthesize it, so it must be ingested.

• Abbreviations: Thr, T
• IUPAC name: 2-amino-3-hydroxybutanoic acid
• Molecular formula: C₄H₉NO₃
• Molecular weight: 119.12 g/mol

toxin    →   toksin

Toxins are effective and specific poisons produced by living organisms. They usually consist of an amino acid chain which can vary in molecular weight between a couple of hundred (peptides) and one hundred thousand (proteins). They may also be low-molecular organic compounds. Toxins are produced by numerous organisms, e.g., bacteria, fungi, algae and plants. Many of them are extremely poisonous, with a toxicity that is several orders of magnitude greater than the nerve agents. Botulinum toxin, produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, is the most poisonous substance known.

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

tyrosine    →   tirozin

Tyrosine is hydrophobic amino acids with aromatic side chain. Tyrosine is large aromatic residue that is normally found buried in the interior of a protein and is important for protein stability. Tyrosine has special properties since its hydroxyl side chain may function as a powerful nucleophile in an enzyme active site (when ionized) and is a common site for phosphorylation in cell signaling cascades. Tyrosine absorbs ultraviolet radiation and contributes to the absorbance spectra of proteins. It is not essential (or semi-essential) to the human diet, since it is synthesized in the body from other metabolites.

• Abbreviations: Tyr, Y
• IUPAC name: 2-amino-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid
• Molecular formula: C₉H₁₁NO₃
• Molecular weight: 181.19 g/mol

U-tube manometer    →   U-manometar

U-tube manometer contains water or mercury in a U-shaped tube, and is usually used to measure gas pressure. One end of the U tube is exposed to the unknown pressure field (P) and the other end is connected to a reference pressure source (usually atmospheric pressure) (P_ref), shown in the schematic below.

If fluid C is the atmosphere, fluid B is the liquid in the U tube (e.g. water or mercury), and fluid A is a gas, then we can assume that ρB >> ρA, ρC. The pressure contributed by the weight of gas within the U tube can therefore be neglected. The gage pressure of the gas can be approximated by,