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Like Henry Ford, Merrifield gained fame by automating a complex process. Proteins, produced inside living cells, are made of long chains of chemically linked amino acids, which group into units known as peptides. To understand a wide variety of biological processes, scientists must be able to trace the sequence of amino acids in a protein. They must know how to duplicate that sequence to manipulate its components for research. Before Merrifield developed his technique, biologists labored through dozens of painstaking purification procedures, taking months or even years to synthesize a peptide chain...
Merrifield confined his simple process to a single laboratory container. Placing a microscopic polystyrene bead inside the receptacle to act as a solid, inert foundation, he began adding drops of amino acid units, which linked together in the proper order. He washed the growing chain in a purifying solution after adding each chemical, thus avoiding the possible need to remove any part for additional purification, as in past methods. When the protein was complete, acid was used to cleave it from the bead. Though Merrifield's first device, regulated by a metal cylinder studded with pegs, had a touch...
...sponsor. In effect, the bank is giving him a generous half-salary subsidy. Even so, he and his wife Gloria, who works at a state unemployment office, go in the hole about $200 a month for his training costs. There is no money in endorsing weights or lifting suits. Amino acids cost $22 a jar, and Winter fortifies himself with a jar every four days. "But the Olympic Committee has asked for my Social Security number," he says, "so perhaps there will be some help up the road." Or, daydreams this chocoholic, maybe Nestlé will come calling with...
Since there is no cure, frustrated herpes sufferers will try almost any potion or palliative. Some herpetics regularly consume buttermilk, vitamins, herbs or lysine, an amino acid that is said to help retard viral growth. Some avoid eating chocolate, nuts and other foods containing arginine, another amino acid that some specialists think encourages viruses. Other patients apply seaweed, earwax, snake venom, peanut butter, watermelon, ether, baking soda, bleach, yogurt compresses, carburetor fluid or Instant Ocean, an aquarium product that they lace into their bath water. None of these home remedies is a cure, but sufferers keep experimenting. Says Dr. John...
Chem 20 leaves no doubts. "Structural theory, chemical transformations of aliphatic and aromatic compounds, elementary mechanistic theory...reactive intermediates (carbonium ions, carbanions, free radicals, carbenes) carbohydrates, amino acids and peptides. Heterocyclic compound. "For this you pay an extra $85. No non-credit or auditing students are allowed to witness the carnage. APSCS-120. "Structure and Interpretation of Programming." costs only $50, but make no mistake, this is AM 110 in disguise...