chemical compound summary
Learn about chemical compounds and their classification
Below is the article summary. For the full article, see chemical compound.
asparagine Summary
Asparagine, an amino acid closely related to aspartic acid, and an important component of proteins. First isolated in 1932 from asparagus, from which its name is derived, asparagine is widely distributed in plant proteins. It is one of several so-called nonessential amino acids in warm-blooded
arginine Summary
Arginine, an amino acid obtainable by hydrolysis of many common proteins but particularly abundant in protamines and histones, proteins associated with nucleic acids. First isolated from animal horn (1895), arginine plays an important role in mammals in the synthesis of urea, the principal form in
acetylcholine Summary
Acetylcholine, an ester of choline and acetic acid that serves as a neurotransmitter within the central and peripheral nervous systems. Acetylcholine is the chief neurotransmitter of the parasympathetic nervous system, the part of the autonomic nervous system (a branch of the peripheral nervous
dioxin Summary
Dioxin, any of a group of aromatic hydrocarbon compounds known to be environmental pollutants that are generated as undesirable by-products in the manufacture of herbicides, disinfectants, and other agents. In popular terminology, dioxin has become a synonym for one specific dioxin,