Tutorial - Week 3 - pH, acid-base, charge of amino acids & peptides Flashcards
Key concept: Describe pH, acid, and base
- The pH of a soluWon indicates its acidity or basicity
- Acid is a molecule (or group) that donates H +
- Base is a molecule (or group) that accepts H +
Key concept: Describe pKa and isoelectric point (pl)
- pKa is the pH at which the H + dissociates
- Acids have a low pKa
- Bases have a high pKa
- pI, isolectric point: pH at which the net charge is zero
Key concept: Describe acid-base properties of amino acids
- Amino acids have at least 1 acid group (COOH)
& 1 base group (NH 2 ) - The side chain of polar charged amino acids
has one ionisable group
Key concept: Describe how to calculate the charge of individual amino acids
- Charge of amino acid depends on the pH and pKa of
ionisable groups - pKa differ for each amino acids
- pKa (COOH) is < 7.4, negative at pH 7.4
- pKa (NH 3+ ) is >7.4, positive at pH 7.4
- pKa of the side chain of polar charged amino acids
Key concept: Describe how to calculate the charge of a peptide/protein
- Charge of peptide/protein depends on the pH
and pKa of the residue side chains, N-terminus
and C-terminus - N-terminus group (NH 3+ ) is positive at pH 7.4
- C-terminus (COO - ) is negative at pH 7.4
Label each category
T/F: Biomolecules can be very sensitive to pH
True
As the pH of a solution changes, what may also vary?
The charge
What does the charge of molecules, such as in proteins, have a profound effect on?
How they work or if they are going to function
The pH of a solution indicates the…
Acidity or the basicity
What does pH correlate with in a solution?
the H+ (hydrogen ions)
ph = ? (equation)
-log [H+]
[H+] = ? (equation)
10^-pH M
pOH = ? (equation)
-log [-OH]
pOH = ? (equation)
-log [OH-]
pH + pOH = ?
14 - The sum of pH and pOH is always 14. This is because the product of proton concentration and hydroxide concentration must always equal the equilibrium constant for the ionization of water
What does a low pH indicate in terms of how acidic or basic a solution is and which ion is most prominent?
High H+ ions and acidic (pH < 7)
What does a high pH indicate in terms of how acidic or basic a solution is and which ion is most prominent?
Basic (pH > 7) and high OH- ions
What is the neutral pH? What are the values for OH- and H+?
pH = 7 and OH- = H+
What is the value for physiological pH?
7.4 (close to neutral)
Inside cells how low do some compartments get in pH?
4.5-6
Do strong acids dissociate in water? Why?
Yes
1 mol of HCl in water will dissociate and add 1mol of H+ and 1 mol of Cl- to the water
Do strong bases dissociate in water? Why? What gets added to the water?
What will happen to 1 mol of NaCl?
Yes
Dissociates due to unstableness of the molecules due to the strong charges pulling the molecules apart.
1 mol of NaCl will dissociate into 1 mol of OH- and 1 mol of Na+ in the solution
Do weak acids and bases dissociate in water?
Why are they important?
No
Important as they help to keep the concentration of H+ stable and therefore help to keep the pH of the solution relatively constant
How can the ionisation of a weak acid/base in water be expressed?
By an “equilibrium constant, Ka” <—- a is below the K in the notation
Write the equilibrium constant calculation for acetic acid (the acid present in vinegar) as shown in the graphic
What does the pKa express?
The strength of the base or acid
The stronger the acid the ________ its pKa
Smaller
The stronger the base the ________ its pKa
Larger
What is titration?
A titration is a technique where a solution of known concentration is used to determine the concentration of an unknown solution. Typically, the titrant (the know solution) is added from a buret to a known quantity of the analyte (the unknown solution) until the reaction is complete.
How do you calculate the pKa of an acid?
What is the Henderson-Hasselback equation and what does it predict?
The Henderson-Hasselbalch equation can be written as: pH = pKa + log10 ([A–]/[HA]) Where [A–] denotes the molar concentration of the conjugate base (of the acid) and [HA] denotes the molar concentration of the weak acid.
it predicts the response of the
weak acid/base in response to changes to H + or OH -
The ____________________________ of any weak acid is described by the Henderson-Hasselbach equation
shape of the titration curve
What does the following version of the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation allow you to calculate?
Ionisation of a weak acid:
What does the following version of the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation allow you to calculate?
Solve for [H + ]:
What does the following version of the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation allow you to calculate?
Negative log in both sides: