Amino Acids

Question 1

Amino acid

Answer 1

They are the protein’s building units. They are organic compounds made up of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen atoms.

Question 2

What makes an Amino acid ?

Answer 2

They are made up of a basic group (amine group and carboxylic group), a hydrogen atom, and a terminal group R which differs from one amine group to another.

Question 3

Amino acid reactions

Answer 3

• Amino acids chemically bond together to from polypeptides by a condensation reaction. The bond formed is called a peptide bond
• The opposite of a condensation reaction is a hydrolysis. It is the splitting of two monomers using a water molecule.

Question 5

Primary structure

Answer 5

It describes the order of amino acids in the polypeptide chain. The order is dictated by the DNA.

Question 6

Secondary structure

Answer 6

This describes the way that a polypeptide folds. They fold due to the hydrogen bonds between the carboxyl and amine groups in nearby amino acids. It can result in:

• An alpha helix
• A pleated beta-sheet

Question 7

Tertiary structure

Answer 7

This describes the shape of proteins. This is formed as a result of the bonds between different R groups of amino acids. This can bend the chain and give it a unique shape.

Question 8

Quaternary structure

Answer 8

This is where two or more tertiary structures join together to from a large complicated protein e.g. Haemoglobin