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26 Amino Acids, Peptides, Proteins, and Nucleic Acids: Nitrogen-Containing Polymers in Nature Here it is: the last chapter! It is, however, as much a beginning as an end. Chemistry in general. and organic chemistry in particular. are not isolated fields. Organic chemistry is the basic stuff of biology, and this chapter bridges the two. The basic principles that govern the behavior of organic molecules in general are shown here to be directly applicable to molecules of greater and greater complexity. You see here some of the most fun- damental molecules of life viewed from the organic chemist's point of view. The next step in this direction is biochemistry. Outline of the Chapter 26-1 Structure and Properties of Amino Acids Nature's most versatile building blocks. 26-2, 26-3 Preparation of Amino Acids Fancy footwork involving two very different functional groups. 26-4 Peptides and Proteins: Amino Acid Oligomers and Polymers The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. 26-5 Determination of Polypeptide Primary Structure: Sequencing Exercises in logic, plus a lot of hard work. 26-6, 26-7 Synthesis of Polypeptides: A Protecting Group Challenge Even fancier footwork: how does Nature do it so easily??!! 26-8 Polypeptides in Nature: The Proteins Myoglobin and Hemoglobin 26-9, 26-10 Biosynthesis of Proteins: Nucleic Acids How Nature appears to do it easily. 26-11 DNA Sequencing and Synthesis: Gene Technology The future is now! Keys to the Chapter Structure and Properties of Amino Acids Read the introduction to the text chapter and this text section. and then come back here. All done? O.K., here's the big picture. The chemistry of life IS complicated. Structures have to be built to hold things together. and a lot of chemical reactions have to be going on to perform the various functions that maintain such as 487