[BjornBee]

In doing some research on amino acids in regards to bee food and health, I have run across some of the amino acids, listed with a "L" in front of the listing. Instead of isoleucine or iso-leucine, its listed as "L-isoleucine". What does this "L" represent? Does it distinguish between food grade, and something like laboaratory grade, pharmacutical grade?

I know, I know. Some were asleep during chemistry 101. I was probably awake....just looking at that hot cutie in front of me with that short skirt....

 

[jdagpatton]

Has something to do with isomerism. Each amino acid can occur in two forms L and D. Dont remember what they mean though.

 

[balhanapi]

L means levo and D is dextro The 2 isomers are mirror images of each other. the one with left handed arrangement of atoms around a central axis is 'L' like wise right handed arrangement is called 'D'
L is the metabolically active isomer so we are mainly concerned with 'L'

after this that cute girl in front of Bjorn bent down to pick up her pencil...

 

[Aspera]

Sometimes the nomenclature used is (R) as in rectus or (S) as in sinister, which are the same as (D) dexter and (L) levo respectively. Biological chemistry is often steriospecific, meaning that one isomer participates in a chemical reactions to the exclusion of the other isomer. Most non-enzymatic reations are chiral mixtures of the two. In general, it is something that only pharmocologists and biochemists need to worry about.

 

[David Stewart]

<after this that cute girl in front of Bjorn bent down to pick up her pencil...>

You owe me a keyboard cleaning for that one.....I've now got sticky Dr.Pepper sprayed all over the place.

 

[BjornBee]

Thanks for the information.

 

[Ian]

>>just looking at that hot cutie in front of me with that short skirt.

I married the hot cutie,
only reason I passed.

[ February 12, 2007, 04:43 PM: Message edited by: Ian ]

 

[Michael Bush]

Back in 1848 a young beginning Chemistry student in France, Louis Pastuer, did a routine student experiment making tartaric acid crystals. When examining them under the microscope he observed something no one before had paid any attention to. There were left and right handed versions of the crystals. He took some tweezers and sorted all the right handed ones into one pile and the left handed ones into another pile. He then proved they bent light differently and they acted differently chemically. Chiral molecules had been discovered. And Louis Pastuer had been noticed.

 

[carbide]

Wow! And my friend says that beekeepers must be a little empty upstairs to take up a hobby that has so many stinger equipped insects after you. I'm going to have to copy this thread to him to show him that not all beekeepers are as light headed as I am.

 

[dragonfly]

I'm glad you posted this question, because just yesterday, I was wondering the same thing. Honestly

The difference is that I was reading the label on a bottle of lotion, not pondering health and nutrition, lol.