MadSci Network: Biochemistry
Query:

Subject: how will the decay of a carbon 14 in a amino acid affect the organism?

Date: Wed Feb 9 12:37:24 2000
Posted by john rapp
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Area of science: Biochemistry
ID: 950121444.Bc
Message:

when a carbon 14 (combing power 4) which is carbon 2 in an amino acid
>decays to a nitrogen atom (combing power 3) how will this affect the amino
>acid, protien and organism?

What i mean is if an organism absorbs a molecule of carbon isotope 14 and
converts it into the carbon at the center of an amino acid:
      H
NH2 - C(14) - COOH
      H
when a carbon 14 decays, it releases a beta particle and turns into a
Nitrogen 14 molecule. as the bonding propeties of nitrogen are diferent to
those of carbon, I assume this will affect the amino acid, and therefore 
the
protien as a whole. What I would like to know is how the amino acid is
affected.



Re: how will the decay of a carbon 14 in a amino acid affect the organism?

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