The charged amino acids:
- Aspartate and Glutamate are negatively charged.
- Lysine and Arginine are positively charged.
Amino Acids: Charged
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Aspartate (aka aspartic acid)
- Under physiological conditions, aspartate is negatively charged.
- Aspartate is one of the major components of the artificial sweetener aspartame, which is found in many diet sodas.
- Glutamate’s structure is very similar to aspartate, it just has an extra CH2 before the carboxylic acid group.
- Glutamate’s sodium salt, monosodium glutamate, or MSG is used in the food industry to enhance the flavor of savory foods.
- Letter K was closest letter to L that was available.
Arginine
- To remember its letter, remember that the word Arginine starts with an “R” sound.