BIOMOLECULES AND ENZYMES

BIOLOGY

AMINO ACIDS

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
This property of amino acids refers to their ability to act as an acid or a base.
A
zwitterionic
B
chirality
C
UV absorptive
D
amphoteric
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Amino acids are said to be amphoteric in nature because they act as both acids as well as bases as they contain acidic COOH group and basic NH2 group.

Detailed explanation-2: -Acid-base properties Compounds such as amino acids that can act as either an acid or a base are called amphoteric. The basic amino group typically has a pKa between 9 and 10, while the acidic -carboxyl group has a pKa that is usually close to 2 (a very low value for carboxyls).

Detailed explanation-3: -Characteristics. Amino acids are amphoteric, which means they have acidic and basic tendencies. The carboxyl group is able to lose a proton and the amine group is able to accept a proton.

Detailed explanation-4: -Amino acids can act as both an acid and a base due to the presence of the amino and carboxyl functional groups. The pH at which a given amino acid exists in solution as a zwitterion is called the isoelectric point (pI).

Detailed explanation-5: -So, amino acids are amphoteric.

There is 1 question to complete.