Functional groups three-dimensional orientation

Three-dimensional (3-D) descriptors of molecules quantify their shape, size, and other structural characteristics which arise out of the 3-D disposition and orientation of atoms and functional groups of molecules in space. A special class of 3-D indices is quantitative descriptors of chirality. If a molecule has one or more chiral centers, the spatial disposition of atoms can produce enantiomers, many of which will have the same magnitude of calculated and experimental physicochemical properties having, at the same time, distinct bioactivity profiles. Basak and coworkers [22] have developed quantitative chirality indices to discriminate such isomers according to their structural invariants which are based on the Cahn-Ingold-Prelog (CIP) rules. 

The overall relative orientation of the secondary structures of an enzyme determines its three-dimensional shape, or tertiary structure. Some enzymes require multiple copies of the same enzyme to function. The individual enzymes cluster into groups of two or more (called dimers, trimers, etc.) and are held together by intermolecular forces. The relative positioning of the separate enzymes in the cluster determines the overall structure, or quaternary structure, of the supramolecular complex. While all enzymes have tertiary structure, only clusters of multiple enzyme subunits have quaternary structure. The overall folded conformation of a protein in its active, catalytic form is called the active or native conformation. 

Stereoisomers differ only in the way atoms are oriented in space. Stereoisomers have identical lUPAC names (except for a prefix like cis or trans). Because they differ only in the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms, stereoisomers always have the same functional group(s). 

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