Which amino acid has a single hydrogen atom as its R group? …
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
- Which amino acid has a single hydrogen atom as its R group?
- Which amino acid has as its R group?
- In water an amino acid carries and at once. What is such an ion called?
- Lysine has a second amino group in its R group. Is it acidic, basic or neutral?
- Glutamic acid has a second carboxyl group. Is it acidic, basic or neutral?
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) Glycine.
Step 2. (b) Alanine.
Step 3. (c) A zwitterion.
Step 4. (d) Basic.
Step 5. (e) Acidic.
Answer: (a) glycine; (b) alanine; (c) a zwitterion; (d) basic; (e) acidic.
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