Chiral carbon
- Carbon atom with 4 different attachments
Chirality
Amino acid chirality
• Almost all AA have chiral carbon as central atom
• Exception: glycine (R-group = H-atom)
CORN: use to distinguish L & D-form AA
• L-form: "laevorotatory" --> AA with groups arranged in clockwise direction
• D-form: "dextrorotatory" --> counter-clockwise
• Forms refer to optical properties