Amino Acid Lab Report

Protein is the building blocks of life (nlm.nih.gov). Amino Acids are the building block of protein. Amino acids bond together to make long chains, which is protein (nlm.nih.gov). Human body uses amino acids to make proteins to help the body break down food, repair body tissue, grow, and perform many other body functions (nlm.nih.gov). Amino acids can also used as a source of energy by the body (nlm.nih.gov). According to what I learned in Bioorganic lecture, the amino acid structure contains a carboxylic acid group (-COOH) and an amino group (-NH2) bonded to the carbon atom. The scientists have discovered over 50 amino acids, however, only 20 are used to make proteins in the human body (nlm.nih.gov). Of those 20 amino acids, 9 are defined …show more content…
They are not flammable, however propanol and acetic acid can pose health risks or flammable. The ninhydrin can stain your skin purple all day if you don’t wear gloves when using it. Phenylalanine was one of the amino acid that used in the lab. It falls under the essential amino acid group. There are 3 forms of phenylalanine: D-phenylalanine, L-phenylalanine, DL-phenylalanine (m.webmd.com). Meat, fish, cheese, milk, and eggs are the major dietary sources of phenylalanine. Phenylalanine is used for depression, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Parkinson’s diseases, chronic pain, etc. (m.webmd.com). Leucine is an essential amino acid and the most important for bodybuilder. Leucine has a greater power on stimulating skeletal muscle protein synthesis than any other amino acid (bodybuilding.com). Another amino acid is Lysine. It is also an essential amino acid. People use lysine to make medicine. It helps in preventing and treat cold sores caused by the virus (m.webmd.com). Alanine is the next amino acid that used in this lab, it is a non-essential amino acid. Alanine is an important source of energy for muscles and central nervous system, increases immunity, helps in the metabolism of sugar and organic acids …show more content…
TLC is a common use because it is simple to perform, inexpensive, and high sensitivity. TLC work based on different affinities for mobile and stationary phases of a mixture and this wills affects the speed at which it moves (chemwiki.ucdavis.edu). The goal of TLC is to achieve well-defined, separated spot. After the separation is complete, each component appears as spots separated vertically. Each spot has a retention factor (Rf), which is equal to the spot distance / the distance of base line to the solvent front. The Rf value can be used to identify compounds due to their uniqueness to each compound