pKa of the Amino Acids

Amino acids are the compounds or building blocks that make up peptides and proteins. Each amino acid is structured from an amino group and a carboxyl group bound to a tetrahedral carbon. This carbon is designated as the α-carbon (alpha-carbon). Amino acids differ from each other with respect to their side chains, which are referred to as R groups. The R group for each of the amino acids will differ in structure, electrical charge, and polarity. pKa is the negative of the logarithm of the dissociation constant for the -COOH group. pKb is the negative of the logarithm of the dissociation constant for the -NH3 group. Kx is the negative of the logarithm of the dissociation constant for any other group in the molecule. pl is the pH at the isoelectric point. #aminoAcids #pKa #Genetics #proteins #Polypeptides