BIOMOLECULES AND ENZYMES

Detailed explanation-1: -Glycine is a nonpolar amino acid. It is the simplest of the 20 natural amino acids; its side chain is a hydrogen atom. Because there is a second hydrogen atom at the ± carbon, glycine is not optically active. Since glycine has such a small side chain, it can fit into many places where no other amino acid can.

Detailed explanation-2: -But glycine only has a hydrogen at its side chain position. Since glycine has 2 hydrogen atoms, one each on the parent and side chain, it’s the only symmetrical and thus achiral amino acid. Since hydrogen is non-polar, glycine is a hydrophobic amino acid.

Detailed explanation-3: -When bound in a polypeptide chain however, glycine is not polar because the COOH carboxyl group, that becomes COO-in water, binds to the next amino acid after an oxygen atom is removed, making the end non-polar, and its side chain is a single hydrogen atom, which makes the side chain also non-polar.

Detailed explanation-4: -Nonpolar amino acids. Nonpolar amino acids include alanine (Ala), leucine (Leu), isoleucine (Ile), proline (Pro), tryptophan (Trp), valine (Val), phenylalanine (Phe), and methionine (Met).

Detailed explanation-5: -A glycine molecule is polar because it has an amine group and a carboxylate group both capable of forming ions in the correct conditions. It is very definitely polar.