30.1- INTRODUCTION TO AMINO ACIDS Flashcards
How many functional groups do amino acids have?
two
What are the two functional groups of amino acids?
carboxylic acid + primary amine
What type of amino acids are the 20 naturally occurring ones?
α- amino acids
What do almost all naturally occurring amino acids exist as?
enantiomer
What type of functional groups do amino acids have?
an acidic + basic functional group
What does the carboxylic acid group have a tendency to do?
tendency to lose proton
What does the amine group have a tendency to do?
tendency to accept proton
What do amino acids exist as?
zwitterions
What is the charge of zwitterions like?
have a permanent positive charge + permanent negative charge, though compound neutral overall
What is the melting point of amino acids and their ability to dissolve like?
high melting points + dissolve well in water but poorly in non-polar solvents
Why do amino acids have a high melting point + dissolve well in water but poorly in non-polar solvents?
as they’re ionic
What does a typical amino acid look like and behave like?
white solid at room temp + behaves very much like an ionic salt
In strongly acidic conditions what does the lone pair of the H2N group do?
accepts a proton to form positive ion
In strongly acidic conditions, the lone pair o the H2N group accepts a proton, what is it said to be?
protonated
In strongly alkaline solutions, what does the -OH group do?
loses a proton to form negative ion
