1997/11/01 by E. James Milner‐White · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Chemistry · #Protein Structure and Dynamics #Mass Spectrometry Techniques and Applications #Crystallography and molecular interactions
paper · pdf · doi:10.1002/pro.5560061125
openalex publication_date 1997/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
A majority of the standard texts dealing with proteins portray the peptide link as a mixture of two resonance forms, in one of which the nitrogen atom has a positive charge. As a consequence, it is often believed that the nitrogen atom has a net positive charge. This is in apparent contradiction with the partial negative charge on the nitrogen that is used in force fields for molecular modeling. However, charges on resonance forms are best regarded as formal rather than actual charges and current evidence clearly favors a net negative charge for the nitrogen atom. In the course of the discussion, new ideas about the electronic structure of amides and the peptide bond are presented.