Below is a list of some of the important compounds which play essential roles in biochemical reactions. Some also have links to the structure and an example of a mechansism of their involvment in chemical reactions.

The 3D structures of a large variety of biologically important small molecules as well as their PDB format files can be found at the Klothos web link.

Download the windows version of RASMOL to look at PDB (protein databank) and MOL files

a Amino Acids (all L) Cofactors and coenzymes
Aspartic acid ASP D S-adenosylmethionine (SAM)
Asparagine ASN N NAD+, NADH, NADP+, NADPH
Glutamic acid GLU E ATP, ADP, AMP
Glutamine GLN Q Coenzyme A (CoA)
Lysine LYS K acetylCoA
Arginine ARG R biotin
Tryptophan TRP W thiamine
Tyrosine TYR Y pyrodoxal phosphate (PLP)
Phenylalanine PHE F FAD, FADH2, FMN, FMNH2, riboflavin
Proline PRO P lipoic acid
Histidine HIS H tetrahydofolic acid (THF)
Alanine ALA A ubiquinone
Leucine LEU L creatine phosphate
Isoleucine ILE I Fe-protoporphyrin IX (heme)
Valine VAL V cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12)
Threonine THR T chlorophyll a
Serine SER S Nucleic acids
Methionine MET M uracil U
Cysteine CYS C adenine A
Glycine GLY G cytosine C
Cystine guanine G
Carbohydrates, Carboxylic acids thymine T
D-ribose nucleotides and nucleoside of the above
D-glucose Important linkages
D-fructose peptide, amide
D-fructose-6-phosphate thioester
D-fructose-1,6-bisphosphate phosphodiester
sucrose glycosidic
D-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate
dihydroxyacetone phosphate biochemical pathways
phosphoenol pyruvate glycolysis
pyruvate Krebs cycle, tricarboxylic acid cycle
lactate oxidative phosphorylation
citrate calvin cycle
cis-aconitate photosynthesis
2R-3S isocitrate
acetic acid
a-ketoglutarate
succinate
malate
fumarate
ascorbate
oxaloacetate