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Chapter 4: Problem 3

Write equations for the ionic dissociations of alanine, glutamate, histidine, lysine, and phenylalanine.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Alanine dissociates to form a carboxylate ion (COO-) and an ammonium ion (NH3+). Similarly, phenylalanine dissociates in the same way. Glutamate and Histidine, due to the presence of additional carboxyl and amino groups in their side chains respectively, form extra ions when they dissociate. Lysine too with its additional amino group forms one additional ion compared to alanine when it dissociates.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the Structure of Amino Acids

Amino Acids have a general structure of an alpha-Carbon attached to four different groups: a Carboxyl group (COOH), an Amino group (NH2), a Hydrogen atom, and a unique side group (R-group) specific to each amino acid.
02

Note the Dissociation of Carboxyl and Amino Groups

In general conditions, carboxyl and amino groups of any amino acid dissociate in water in a specific manner. The carboxyl group (COOH) can lose a proton to form a carboxylate ion (COO-) and the amino group (NH2) can accept a proton to form an ammonium ion (NH3+).
03

Understand the Specific Dissociation of Each Amino Acid

Now comes the role of side chain specific to each amino acid. Alanine, phenylalanine doesn't have any functional groups in the side chain so they simply dissociate as mentioned in step 2. Glutamate and Histidine have extra carboxyl and amino groups in side chain respectively which can ionize to form extra ions. Lysine has an extra amino group that can accept a proton to form another ion.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Individuals with phenylketonuria must avoid dietary phenylalanine because they are unable to convert phenylalanine to tyrosine. Look up this condition and find out what happens if phenylalanine accumulates in the body. Would you advise a person with phenylketonuria to consume foods sweetened with aspartame? Why or why not?

Describe the stereochemical aspects of the structure of cystine, the structure that is a disulfide-linked pair of cysteines.

Without consulting chapter figures, draw Fischer projection formulas for glycine, aspartate, leucine, isoleucine, methionine, and threonine.

(Integrates with Chapter \(2 .\) ) Draw an appropriate titration curve for aspartic acid, labeling the axes and indicating the equivalence points and the \(\mathrm{p} K_{\mathrm{a}}\) values.

Amino acids are frequently used as buffers. Describe the pH range of acceptable buffering behavior for the amino acids alanine, histidine, aspartic acid, and lysine.
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