Like the language
Since the right hand is the mirror image on the left, many molecules have two versions, one facing the mirror on the other. For researchers, and especially for pharmacists, it is very important to differentiate the two versions, since although they are practically the same, they can have very different characteristics.
One of the best known examples is the drug thalidomide. In the 1960s, many pregnant women took the medicine because it relieved nausea. They later realized that it caused serious malformations in the fetuses. Why? One of the two versions benefited the mother, but the other caused negative effects on the fetus.
To avoid them, chemists have developed several methods, but they are quite difficult. Now, at the University of Texas, a simple and economical method has been devised to separate amino acids that are mirror images.
Some compounds that contain copper tend to be specifically associated with amino acids, being the stronger relationship with one version of the amino acid than with the other. In addition, when you run the link changes color and the color intensity depends on the version. Thus, by using different compounds with copper, chemists easily distinguish what amino acids it is and what their version is. The mechanism used by the human language to discriminate flavors is the same: one version of amino acids is sweet and the other is bitter.
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