Glycine 1

Glycine is the simplest member of the 20 amino acids and is also known as amino acetic acid. It is an amino acid that is not essential for the human body. It has both acidic and basic functional groups in its molecule and is a strong electrolyte in aqueous solution. It has a relatively high solubility in strong polar solvents and is poorly soluble in non-polar solvents. It also has a relatively high boiling point and melting point. The side group of glycine is a hydrogen atom. Due to the presence of another hydrogen atom at the α carbon, glycine is not optically isomerized. Because the side group of glycine is very small, it can occupy spaces that other amino acids cannot, such as as an amino acid within the collagen helix. [2] At room temperature, it is a white crystal or a light yellow crystalline powder with a unique sweet taste. It can moderate the sour and alkaline tastes, mask the bitterness of added saccharin in food, and enhance the sweetness. If the amount of glycine ingested by the human body is too high, it cannot be absorbed and utilized by the body, and it will disrupt the absorption balance of amino acids in the body, affecting the absorption of other amino acids, leading to nutritional imbalance and affecting health. Drinks containing milk produced with glycine as the main raw material can easily have adverse effects on the normal growth and development of teenagers and children. Density 1.1607. Melting point 232-236℃ (decomposition). Soluble in water, insoluble in ethanol and ether. It can form salts with hydrochloric acid. It exists in dry low-molecular substances in muscles. It can be produced by the reaction of 1-chloroacetic acid with ammonium hydroxide or by the hydrolysis and purification of gelatin.