Five Things I Learned From 3D Molecular Models

1.  Glucose is a hexose of the aldose  type, which is called an aldohexose.  Glucose is the most stable form as glucopyranose. 


2. Cellulose is the major polysaccharide in wood and in structural parts of plants, usually the outer layer, such as stems and leaves.  Cellulose is formed by the linkage of D-glucose molecules through glycosidic beta bonds.



3.  Amino acids are made up of an amino group and a carboxyl group linked to the same carbon atom.  The letter R represents the rest of the molecule.  It is what differentiates one amino acid from the others.  Proteins are composed of 20 types of amino acids.



4. The tertiary structure of a protein is the whole 3D structure of a protein.  It is a combination of several different secondary structures on each part of the molecule.  The protein lysozyme under tertiary structure composed of several alpha helices, one beta sheet, and zones without a regular secondary structure. 


5. DNA are formed by linkage of deoxyribonucleotide monophosphates.  DNA is formed as a double helix and consists on two chains associated by means of hydrogen bonds between nitrogenous bases.