NAME:
Alanine
L-2-aminopropionic acid
SYMBOLS: Ala; A
CAS REGISTRY NUMBER: 56-41-7
FAMILY: Amino acids with nonpolar
(hydrophobic) radicals
MOLECULAR FORMULA: C3H7O2N
MOLECULAR WEIGHT: 89
ISOELECTRIC POINT: 6.00
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COMMENTS:
• neutral,
genetically coded amino acid
•
nonessential amino acid which may be considered
essential under some circumstances
•
the alpha-carbon is
substituted with a levorotatory methyl group, making
it one of the simplest amino acids with respect to
molecular structure
• the powder is
water soluble and has a sweet taste
•
excellent sources include meat, poultry,
fish, eggs and dairy products; some protein-rich plant
foods are also sources
•
highly concentrated in muscle tissue; is
one of the most widely used amino acids in protein construction,
averaging about 9 percent of protein composition
on a per-mole basis
•
excess may be broken down into glucose and used as an
energy source for muscle tissue, the brain and central
nervous system
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involved in the metabolism of tryptophan and the vitamin
pyridoxine; helps in the metabolism of sugars and
organic acids
•
can function as an inhibitory or calming
neurotransmitter in the brain
•
it has been shown to stimulate the immune system by
producing antibodies
• may help
stabilize the blood glucose levels in people with
hypoglycemia
•
present in prostate fluid, may play a role in supporting
prostate health
•
it has little therapeutic role in humans,
although it has been demonstrated to display a
cholesterol-reducing effect in rats
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Get the
coordinates of the atoms in the optimized structure 
(Gaussian
and MOPAC format, .txt file) |
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