Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry

Tertiary structure: The three-dimensional structure of a biopolymer, as defined by the spatial coordinates of all the atoms. In a protein, tertiary structure is controlled by disulfide bridges and folding in response to environment. The tertiary structure of DNA is the supercoil.

Aspects of Protein Tertiary Structure
Amino acid side chain orientation Polar environment
(e.g., water)
 Nonpolar environment
(e.g., cell membrane core)
Hydrophilic side chains
 point outwards
 point inwards
Hydrophobic side chains
 point inwards
 point outwards
Disulfide bridge
   
Position of amino acid side chains.

DNA tertiary structure is the supercoil.