What is it about?
Iso-Leucine is one of the 20 amino acids common in animal proteins and required for normal functioning in humans. also-Leucne is essential for human muscle tissue recovery after exercise, along with Valine and Leucine.
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Why is it important?
Iso-Leucine is classified as hydrophobic amino acid and one of the two common amino acids that has a chiral side chain. One of the other already known polymorph is organised in parallel hydrogen bonded networks. The hydrogen bonded networks in the new polymorph, reported in this paper, are stacked in as anti-parallel manner.
Perspectives
This new polymorph was discovered when crystals of Iso-Leucine were tested for heat and electrical conductivity. It seems that we already know everything about amino acids. They are the building blocks of nature, however, it's always exciting to discover something new.
Dr Yael Diskin-Posner
Weizmann Institute of Science
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Crystal structure of a new polymorph of (2S,3S)-2-amino-3-methylpentanoic acid, Acta Crystallographica Section E Crystallographic Communications, May 2018, International Union of Crystallography,
DOI: 10.1107/s2056989018006126.
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