Why do Amino Acids start with "L"? Unraveling the Mystery of the "L"
Have you ever wondered why most amino acids have an "L" in front of their names? It might seem like a random detail, but it actually has a cool scientific reason behind it!
Imagine holding your hands up in front of you. They look almost identical, but they're not exactly the same. Your left hand and right hand are mirror images of each other. This "mirror image" property is called chirality, and it applies to molecules too, including amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.
Amino acids can come in two forms, like your left and right hands. These mirror image forms are called enantiomers. Scientists needed a way to tell them apart, so they arbitrarily decided to call one form "L" and the other "D".
Here's the interesting part: in the world of living things, only the "L" form of amino acids is usually used to build proteins. It's like a universal rule for life! This is because, just like your hands fit together differently, "L" and "D" amino acids can interact with other molecules in different ways.
So, the next time you see an "L" before an amino acid name, remember the fascinating world of chirality and how it shapes the building blocks of life!