Adult haemoglobin has two alpha chains of 141 amino acids each and two beta chains of 146 amino…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Adult haemoglobin has two alpha chains of amino acids each and two beta chains of amino acids each.
- How many peptide bonds are in one alpha chain?
- How many are in one beta chain?
- How many peptide bonds are in the whole molecule?
- How many molecules of water were released when the four chains were made?
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
An amino acid has a hydrogen atom, an amino group, a carboxyl group and an R group on the alpha carbon. Twenty kinds build proteins: acidic, basic, neutral and aromatic by the R group. In water an amino acid is a zwitterion. A peptide bond joins carboxyl to amino and releases a water, so a chain of n amino acids has n minus 1 bonds. Levels: primary (sequence), secondary (helix), tertiary (fold), quaternary (subunits, as in haemoglobin).
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. (a) bonds.
Step 2. (b) bonds.
Step 3. (c) bonds.
Step 4. (d) One water leaves at each peptide bond, so molecules.
Answer: ; ; ; .
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