Questions tagged [organic-chemistry]
Chemistry relating to carbon-containing compounds. Should relate to biology as opposed to being purely about chemistry.
74
questions
13
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Would fewer cows mean less methane emission?
Rotting grass produces the same amount of methane as cows that digest grass (see this source). So if cows did not eat the grass, it would still emit methane. Therefore, if there were fewer cows, would ...
- 245
12
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What are the olfactory chemicals in whiteboard/permanent markers and what do they bind to in the nose, lungs, and brain?
What are the olfactory chemicals in whiteboard/permanent markers and what do they bind to in the nose, lungs, and brain?
- 439
8
votes
1
answer
502
views
What is the maximum potential sucrose concentration of plant sap? What keeps plants below this potential?
I am interested in identifying the maximum potential dissolved sucrose (%w/w) that plant sap could have, and which (biological, physical, chemical) factors constrain the observed sucrose ...
- 696
5
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Water soluble molecules
I believe I may have misunderstood water solubility this entire time.
I assumed that water soluble meant that it would literally dissolve in water. It would break down into atoms. A sugar molecule ...
- 1,371
5
votes
1
answer
484
views
Why is ammonia converted to urea rather than secreted in the urine?
Since ammonia is highly soluble in water, my senses keep telling me something like, "Just a little bit of water is enough to flush it, given that a lot of it would dissolve per liter of solvent&...
5
votes
1
answer
563
views
What is a lethal dose of THC?
With the oil form of THC being stronger then ever. What would happen if one was to take a stomach full of THC oil?
- 1
5
votes
1
answer
21k
views
What does the (-) in the molecule name mean?
I'm reading some text (purchase request) that has the following line in it.
(-)-Norepinephrine
What does the minus sign mean in front that is in parenthesis? Is this some kind of standard way of ...
- 371
5
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Anomalous base pairing of nucleotide tautomers
What tautomers base pair with what bases?
I know that adenine pairs with thymine and guanine pairs with cytosine normally. My question is what does the imino form of adenine base pair with? Regular ...
- 499
5
votes
1
answer
316
views
Tryptophan side-chain structure, how should it be orientated?
I would like some clarification on whether it matters where the NH and double bond are placed in these two structures of tryptophan (W) that I drew. I marked the right side as correct and the left ...
- 540
5
votes
3
answers
254
views
Wax layer destruction from seed coats
I'm working with some orchid species, and i encounter a specific issue. Some of those species deposits upon their seed coat a wax layer. This layer makes seeds behave in a very hydrophobic way. You ...
- 409
4
votes
2
answers
495
views
Do acetyl-CoA, acetyl-CoA carboxylase and acetyl-glutamate carry any charge?
Do the following compounds have any charge? If not, then why? If yes, is there any database that would give me this information if the compound is negatively or positively charged?
The compounds are ...
- 2,215
4
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Text Book Recommendation: Cell & Molecular Biology + Organic Chemistry
I am studying undergraduate biology course and I have cell biology and molecular biology in my next semester. Our college recommends three books : Cooper, Lodish & Bruce Alberts. It would be ...
- 493
4
votes
1
answer
384
views
Why does the luminal test need hydrogen peroxide?
In the chemiluminescent reaction of Luminol in an aqueous solution, the luminol needs to react with molecular oxygen to produce a photon of blue light. In the technique, the hemoglobin of blood ...
- 217
4
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Why do we need to amplify DNA sequences?
I am learning about biotechnology. I have no education in biology or chemistry and am simply interested in the subject of biotechnology.
I am wondering why we need to have multiple copies of a piece ...
- 51
4
votes
1
answer
69
views
Is studying chemical and physical properties of chemical substances that make up organisms really a task of molecular biology?
I have read in a high school textbook that (translated into English by myself): "Branch of science that concerns itself with studying chemical and physical properties of substances that make up ...
- 53
4
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Glycogen vs cellulose-curvature of glycogen molecule?
I was wondering if anyone knows what the degree of curvature is or bond angle between the $\alpha$ glucose molecules in glycogen is. I know that glycogen/amylose/amylopectin have a general curved ...
- 2,939
4
votes
2
answers
829
views
Blebbistatin effect on vesicles
Blebbistatin is a drug that specifically inhibits the assembly of myosin in the cytoskeleton. What effect would you expect blebbistatin to have on intracellular vesicles?
...
- 171
3
votes
2
answers
629
views
Why are human titin and mice titin considered the same protein?
I have a book that says:
In humans titin is a chain of 34,350 amino acids, but in mice it is even longer with 35,213 amino acids.
If two polypeptides had different amino acid sequence lengths, how ...
- 1,517
3
votes
1
answer
39k
views
Melting point of a fatty acid? [closed]
What factors determine the melting point of a fatty acid?
Chain length
The number of methylene group
The ionized state of the fatty acid
Its degree of saponification
Its ability to alter the ...
- 111
3
votes
1
answer
92
views
Is the formula of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) $\ce{C_{10}H_{11}N_{5}O_{6}P}$ or $\ce{C_{10}H_{12}N_{5}O_{6}P}$? Does it matter?
For some reason, half the sites on the internet say that there are 12 hydrogen atoms in one molecule of cAMP, and the other half claim 11.
Who is correct? Does a single, free, unbounded and ...
- 497
3
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Is household ammonia okay for plants?
My father-in-law claims that since plants need nitrogen to produce proteins, and since ammonia is NH3, that Ammonia should be fine for the plants, since it's just nitrogen and water and hydrogen, ...
- 678
3
votes
1
answer
107
views
Glutamine analysis
I use to run a method to analyse all the amino-acids in a food sample. For that I have to hydrololyse the sample and in the last stage of the method I read the amino acids with a ion exchange ...
- 974
3
votes
1
answer
848
views
What is the effect of flash pasteurisation on Maillard reactions or production of AGEs in milk?
Does flash UHTP homogenision and pasteurisation change significantly the extent of maillard reaction in milk compared with traditional batch pasteurisation? If this is significant does this effect the ...
3
votes
1
answer
148
views
Question related to L-arginine biosynthesis
With respect to the L-arginine Biosynthesis pathway, the very first reaction converts L-glutamate to N-acetyl L-glutamate.
In the linked reaction scheme, why are only L-glutamate and N-acetyl ...
- 2,215
3
votes
1
answer
76
views
What are the minimal chemical requirements for a food which we all can eat? [closed]
I've been puzzled by the following though experiment for the past few days:
I want to make my own food from scratch, but I do not know where to start from.
I want to be 100% sure that what I eat will ...
- 33
3
votes
0
answers
76
views
Preparation of dihydroxyacetone phosphate from glycerine by fermentation
I read on Wikipedia that
dihydroxyacetone (DHA) can be obtained from fermentation of glycerin. I would like to obtain dihydydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) for a science experiment but, since I'm 15, I ...
- 360
2
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What is the chemical composition of an egg shell?
It ought to be some combination of C, O, and H, I presume. But really why should I care if eggshell gets in my eggs while I'm cooking?
- 180
2
votes
1
answer
1k
views
1% water solution of deoxycholic acid. How is it prepared? [closed]
According to Sigma, the solubility of deoxycholic acid is:
0.24 g/L in water at 15C
According to the FDA, Kybella (trademark) is a 1% water solution of deoxycholic acid.
How did they do this?
- 31
2
votes
1
answer
133
views
Why is there no wavelength change in the hyperchromic shift in DNA?
From Wikipedia article on hyperchromicity (emphasis my own):
"When the bases become unstacked, the wavelength of maximum absorbance
does not change, but the amount absorbed increases by 37%.&...
- 131
2
votes
2
answers
330
views
Does baking soda interfere with digestion when cooked into food?
Baking soda is useful for tenderizing meats and leavening baked goods. In the case of meats, it allegedly breaks down proteins/amino acids.
However, does this usage pose a risk to digestion? Could the ...
- 23
2
votes
1
answer
925
views
How to calculate the Jaccard index [closed]
I want to calculate the Jaccard index between two compounds. What is the algorithm? I have searched for it, it just gives the formula but how to apply it on compounds is not known to me. Can you help?
- 2,215
2
votes
1
answer
590
views
Can emulsion test be used to detect phospholipids?
The emulsion test- causes a white cloudy colour when lipid is dissolved in ethanol and then water added.
Can this be used for phospholipids? I am aware that they are polar so may arrange in a ...
2
votes
1
answer
198
views
What are some uses of oxidative/reductive power inside cells? [closed]
I know respiration and photosynthesis are based on oxidation and reduction, and the formation of NADH and NADPH in them is very important for many cell processes. I know that NADPH, for example, is ...
- 2,939
2
votes
1
answer
64
views
How can I estimate the CO₂ uptake of a plant?
I would like to make an estimation of the CO2 uptake of plants I cultivate, including, lettuce and aromatic herbs, such as thyme, basil, rosemary. What I want is to end up with a rough indicator for ...
- 183
2
votes
1
answer
63
views
Question regarding an Escherichia coli reaction
With respect to this link
http://www.biocyc.org/ECOLI/NEW-IMAGE?type=REACTION&object=RXN-14479
Here the enzyme is mentioned and the two reacting compounds. Now , my question is
1. When these ...
- 2,215
2
votes
1
answer
456
views
Solubility of Forskolin in ethanol
I am interested in using forskolin in cell culture medium. Does anyone know how to make solution of 10 microM forskolin in 5% ethanol or less. I would like to avoid using DMSO as a solvent.
Thank you. ...
- 21
2
votes
0
answers
56
views
Why are disaccharides less reducing than monosaccharides?
My teacher told me the statement, but if both monosaccharide and disaccharides have a single free active group, how is this possible?
2
votes
0
answers
85
views
What is the representation for Sulfur in organic matter?
We often represent organic matter with the following equation:
$$
(CH_2O)_x(NH_3)_y(H_3PO_4)_z \tag{0}
$$
For example, the organic matter with the Redfield ratio has the form of $(CH_2O)_{106}(NH_3)_{...
- 79
2
votes
0
answers
162
views
Living potato clock? [duplicate]
Could a potato stay alive and power a clock while growing in the ground?
I know how a potato clock works as a electrochemical cell and involves chemistry, but I am only interested in a growing ...
- 1
2
votes
0
answers
88
views
Why did plants evolve to use opioids? [closed]
I'm reading about medicine and specifically opioids. There seems to be a wide variety of forms of these chemicals, I'm curious as to what purpose these serve in these respective plants, and why they ...
- 475
2
votes
0
answers
541
views
What is the chemical makeup of mealworm frass?
We have been raising mealworms for some time and while mealworm frass has proven very useful as a plant fertilizer, I started wondering about other potential uses of this leftover waste.
Can someone ...
- 451
1
vote
1
answer
365
views
What is the minimum number of chemical elements required for life on earth? Does it vary between kingdoms?
As a non-biologist, I assume that there are certain elements that occur in all life forms as we know them. Examples might be carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and so forth. There are also elements that are ...
- 172
1
vote
1
answer
469
views
Are DNA molecules negatively charged at low pH values?
We know, that for each monomer of DNA, phosphate groups are having -1 charge because one of the oxygen is negatively charged (2nd oxygen participates in the phosphodiester covalent bond), but isn't it ...
1
vote
1
answer
63
views
Can the dietary fibres as chemical compounds be regarded as polymers? [closed]
At the level of molecular structure, can the dietary fibres be regarded as polymers?
- 111
1
vote
1
answer
87
views
Does mechanotransduction of cells play a role in the biocompatibility of titanium?
What exactly is mechanotransduction as the information varies between sources. Some sources indicate that mechanotransduction is the underlying principle where cells pull on the surface they grow on ...
- 11
1
vote
1
answer
759
views
How is the rate of transcription influenced by temperature?
How is the rate of transcription influenced by temperature? More precisely, I am looking for an article who quantitatively measured the rate of transcription of an "average gene" and show how this ...
- 68k
1
vote
1
answer
110
views
Quantification of various amino acids from bacteria?
I would like to characterise how much of various (uncommon) cytosolic amino acids are produced in bacteria, and was wondering if there are good suggestions of how to go about doing this. I know that ...
- 842
1
vote
1
answer
174
views
Glycosidic bonds
For the glycosidic bond in maltose, why is the glycosidic bond formed between hydroxyl group on C1 in 1 glucose molecule and hydroxyl group on C4 of the other glucose molecule? Why not between, say, ...
- 11
1
vote
1
answer
347
views
How do alcohols and aldehydes destroy the plasma membranes of bacteria?
I am interested in knowing why a 60-80% solution of alcohol (usually ethanol or 2-propanol) can effectively kill vegetative bacteria and fungi. I know that it can coagulate essential proteins like ...
- 111
1
vote
1
answer
451
views
Where are doxycycline's anti-inflammatory properties derived from?
I have been looking at this antibiotic called doxycycline which is used mainly as an antibiotic. It has however some interesting anti-inflammatory properties. Does anyone know where these anti-...
- 123