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Glycomimetic
Glycomimetic is a term used to refer to molecules that have structures similar to carbohydrates, but with some variation. This will normally result in modified biological properties. Introduction Often, modification of the structure will take place around the glycosidic linkage. Replacement of one or other of the glycosidic oxygen atoms by carbon, sulfur, nitrogen etc. will alter the properties of the glycosidic bond. The molecules produced in this way would be called carbasugars or C-glycosides, thiosugars or thioglycosides, or iminosugars or glycosylamines. When nitrogen is introduced, the glycomimetic may become positively charged at physiological pH, meaning that it may act as an enzyme inhibitor, either by Coulombic interaction with carboxylate amino acid side-chains in the enzyme active site, or by mimicking positive-charge build-up at the transition state of the reaction, or both. Iminosugars (sometimes referred to erroneously as azasugars) are classic examples of molecu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Molecules
A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and biochemistry, the distinction from ions is dropped and ''molecule'' is often used when referring to polyatomic ions. A molecule may be homonuclear, that is, it consists of atoms of one chemical element, e.g. two atoms in the oxygen molecule (O2); or it may be heteronuclear, a chemical compound composed of more than one element, e.g. water (two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom; H2O). In the kinetic theory of gases, the term ''molecule'' is often used for any gaseous particle regardless of its composition. This relaxes the requirement that a molecule contains two or more atoms, since the noble gases are individual atoms. Atoms and complexes connected by non-covalent interactions, such as hydrogen bonds or ionic bonds, are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
