Amino acids, Proteins and DNA

Question 1

describe the natural structure of an amino acid

Answer 1

• Central C with NH2 group, COOh group, H and R group
• chiral because there are four different groups
  around the C (apart from in glycine where R group is a H atom)

Question 2

Amino acids are chiral, therefore they what?

Answer 2

have optical activity

and rotate plane polarised light

Question 3

Naming amino acids (systematically)

Answer 3

Stem name: -oic acid

prefix: 2-amino (may be any number)
e. g. 2-aminopropanoic acid