Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 25: Problem 21

The amino acid glycine can be condensed to form a polymer called polyglycine. Draw the repeating monomer unit.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The repeating monomer unit of polyglycine is the amino acid glycine (alpha carbon attached to a hydrogen atom, an amino group, a carboxylic group, and another hydrogen atom as the variable group) linked via peptide bonds (simplified as -CO-NH- links) to other glycine units, forming a polymer chain.

Step by step solution

01

Draw the basic structure of an amino acid

Start by drawing the basic structure of an amino acid, which consists of a central carbon atom (the alpha carbon) with four different groups attached to it: an amino group (NH2), a carboxylic acid group (COOH), a hydrogen atom (H), and a variable group (R). This structure looks like a star with the central carbon atom in the middle.
02

Draw the variable group for glycine

For glycine, the variable group (R) is a hydrogen atom (H). This makes glycine the simplest amino acid. Replace the variable group in your drawing with a hydrogen atom.
03

Condense the amino acid

Condensing the amino acid into a polymer involves removing a water molecule (H2O) and forming a peptide bond between the carbon of the carboxylic acid group of one amino acid and the nitrogen of the amino group of the next. Draw this bond, which replaces the -OH from the carboxylic acid group and the hydrogen atom attached to the nitrogen, forming a -CO-NH- link.
04

Draw the repeating monomer unit

Finally, draw the repeating unit, which consists of the alpha carbon with its attached groups (hydrogen atom and variable group), the -CO-NH- link, and indicate repetition by a series of dotted lines on either side of the unit indicating continuation of the polymer chain.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Why is sickle cell anemia called a molecular disease?

Draw the structures of the dipeptides that can be formed from the reaction between the amino acids glycine and alanine.

What kind of intermolecular forces are responsible for the aggregation of hemoglobin molecules that leads to sickle cell anemia?

Briefly explain the phenomenon of cooperativity exhibited by the hemoglobin molecule in binding oxygen.

The "melting point" of a DNA molecule is the temperature at which the double- helical strand breaks apart. Suppose you are given two DNA samples. One sample contains 45 percent C-G base pairs while the other contains 64 percent C-G base pairs. The total number of bases is the same in each sample. Which of the two samples has a higher melting point? Why?
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Chemistry Textbooks

Inorganic Chemistry

Read Explanation

Ionic and Molecular Compounds

Read Explanation

Physical Chemistry

Read Explanation

Nuclear Chemistry

Read Explanation

Chemistry Branches

Read Explanation

Chemical Analysis

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free