4 ms·

So you're saying that given a particular instance of a protein molecule, the surrounding environment can cause its shape to change, but the set of bonds stays c

• hobofan 6y ago
  The covalent bonds stay the same (which is why it's still the same molecule), apart for sometimes localized modification (e.g. protonation). The 3D structure (= shape) however, is mostly dependent on the hydrogen bonds (among other things like bisulfide bonds) between the amino acids that make up a protein. So the deprotonated variant of a amino acid side chain might not be able to interact in the same way as its protonated form, which will cause a different 3D structure for the whole protein, which in turn influences how it interacts with other molecules.
• DoofusOfDeath 6y ago
  > The 3D structure (= shape) however, is mostly dependent on the hydrogen bonds (among other things) between the amino acids that make up a protein. That's really interesting. So now that this new microscopy technique is available, is it practical for chemists to determine every useful detail about the covalent bonds and hydrogen bonds in the imaged molecule?