Which functional group is responsible for the chirality in amino acids?
Practice Questions
Q1
Which functional group is responsible for the chirality in amino acids?
Carboxyl group
Amino group
Hydroxyl group
Carbonyl group
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which functional group is responsible for the chirality in amino acids?
Step 1: Understand what chirality means. Chirality refers to a property of a molecule that makes it non-superimposable on its mirror image, like left and right hands.
Step 2: Identify the structure of an amino acid. An amino acid has a central carbon atom called the alpha carbon.
Step 3: Recognize the groups attached to the alpha carbon. The alpha carbon is attached to four different groups: an amino group (-NH2), a carboxyl group (-COOH), a hydrogen atom (H), and a side chain (R group).
Step 4: Determine which group contributes to chirality. The presence of four different groups attached to the alpha carbon makes it chiral.
Step 5: Conclude that the amino group (-NH2) is one of the groups that helps create chirality in amino acids.
