The leucines are primarily the four isomeric amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, tert-leucine (terleucine, pseudoleucine) and norleucine. Being compared with the four butanols, they could be classified as butyl-substituted glycines; they represent all four possible variations.
Leucine and isoleucine belong to the proteinogenic amino acids; the others are non-natural.
Isomers Including the stereoisomers, six further isomers could be added: D-leucine, D-isoleucine, L-alloisoleucine, D-alloisoleucine, D-tert-leucine and D-norleucine.
Leucines Name L-Leucine L-Isoleucine L-tert-Leucine (terleucine, pseudoleucine) L-Norleucine Other names 2-Amino-4-methylpentanoic acid,Isobutylglycine 2-Amino-3-methylpentanoic acid,sec-Butylglycine 2-Amino-3,3-dimethylbutanoic acid,tert-Butylglycine 2-Amino-hexanoic acid,n-Butylglycine Structure CAS-number 61-90-5 73-32-5 20859-02-3 327-57-1 PubChem Molecular formula C6H13NO2 Molar mass 131.18 g/mol
Derivatives Cycloleucine could be classified as a cyclic derivative of norleucine. With a cyclopentane-ring, it has two hydrogen atoms fewer and thus is not an isomer. The α-carbon atom is not a stereocenter.
See also L-Photo-Leucine
Literature Jeremy M. Berg, John L. Tymoczko, Lubert Stryer: Biochemie. 6 Auflage, Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg 2007. . Donald Voet, Judith G. Voet: Biochemistry. 3. Auflage, John Wiley & Sons, New York 2004. . Bruce Alberts, Alexander Johnson, Peter Walter, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts: Molecular Biology of the Cell, 5. Auflage, Taylor & Francis 2007, .
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