Amino acids are the monomeric units that make up proteins. The reaction which joins amino acids is similar to the reaction used in the preparation of nylon. Two amino acids are shown below. Show the molecule that would result by joining the two amino acids shown below.
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Identify the amino acids: The given amino acids are glycine (H2N-CH2-COOH) and alanine (H2N-CH(CH3)-COOH). Show more…
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Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. The simplest amino acid is glycine (H2NCH2COOH). Draw a Lewis structure for glycine. (Hint: The central atoms in the skeletal structure are nitrogen bonded to carbon, which is bonded to another carbon. The two oxygen atoms are bonded directly to the rightmost carbon atom.)
Alpha amino acids are organic acid molecules that also happen to contain an amino group $\left(-\mathrm{NH}_{2}\right)$ on the second carbon atom of the acid's chain. Proteins are condensation polymers of such alpha amino acids. The reaction by which the long chain of the protein forms is very similar to the reaction by which nylon forms, resulting in the formation of the linkage which is called an "amide" (or "peptide") linkage. Show how the following two amino acids could react with each other to produce an amide linkage, resulting in the formation of a dimer (a "dipeptide").
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