How to identify Amino Acids

Question 1

• Which amino acids are not neutral?

Answer 1

any which are acidic or basic

Question 2

what would make an amino acid small

Answer 2

its side chains have like hyrdorgen or methyl group, really anything with a small weight

Question 3

How to find hydrophobic amino acids?

Answer 3

Look for hydrocarbons because they are hydrophobic because they are nonpolar molecules, meaning they don’t have partial charges. Water is polar and prefers to interact with other polar molecules. Since hydrocarbons have no charges to attract water, they don’t mix well with it, causing them to repel water and stay separate.

Question 4

• How to find nucleophilic amino acids?

Answer 4

will have a nucelophile so an electron rich molecule that can donate electrons to form a new bond like OH, SH etc.

Question 5

• how to spot aromatic amino acids?

Answer 5

aromatic ring

Question 6

how to spot acidic amino acids

Answer 6

have an extra carboxyl group (acid), COOH

Question 7

How to spot basic amino acids

Answer 7

contains another NH+ group

Question 8

how to spot amide amino acids

Answer 8

Comes from glutamic and aspartic acids, and NH2 replaces the OH in carboxyl group