The chemistry in plain words
The chemistry in plain words: 5 articles from What Are Peptides. Plain-English answers about peptides.
Small Molecule vs Peptide vs Biologic: Three Sizes of Medicine
Drugs come in roughly three sizes. A small molecule is a key, a peptide is a short length of chain, and a biologic is a whole padlock built by a living cell. Size decides how each is made, how it travels and how it is regulated.
What Does 'Acetate' Mean on a Peptide Label? Salt Forms Explained
'Acetate' after a peptide's name describes a small partner ion that sits alongside the chain in the dry powder. The chain is the same; the partner is simply named on the label.
What Is a Cyclic Peptide? Necklace vs Bracelet, Explained
A cyclic peptide is a peptide whose chain has been closed into a loop. Same beads, no loose ends, and a shape that is harder to unpick and easier to hold still.
What Is an Excipient? Why There Is Mannitol in the Vial
An excipient is an ingredient whose job is something other than being the active substance: it bulks, protects, buffers or preserves. 'Inactive' on a list means it is not the active ingredient, not that it does nothing.
What Is Molecular Weight? Daltons, Explained With a Bead Necklace
The 'MW' line on a datasheet is the weight of one finished molecule, counted in a unit called the dalton. For a peptide it is roughly the weight of the beads, minus a little water lost each time two beads were joined.