Hello,why asparagine side chain is non-polar ? It has Oxygen atom, and I was thinking it would cause polarity. Thank you.

Question

liliakarina · Answer

Asparagine is a polar, non-charged aminoacid. Its polarity comes from the amide group. Polar aminoacids are the ones whose side chains contain acid, amine, alcohol or amine.

kayne · Answer

Hi mru, The side chain of asparagine is polar because of the amino group (-NH2) found on it. Consequently, it can form hydrogen bonds. You may take a look at the structure using this link: Polar R Groups URL: http://webhost.bridgew.edu/fgorga/proteins/polar.htm I'd also like to suggest you to read a little on hydrogen bonding. It will help you to better understand what you're looking for. Good luck..^^

anonymous · Answer

I agree with LiliaKarina, and also the oxygen does not play such a strong role in the polarity of asparginine because it is double bonded to the carbon and thus is more tightly held by the system. A double bonded oxygen can also aid is resonance stabilization, though I'm not sure if that effect is important in this case.