Chemistry of Amino Acids in Medical Studies Quiz

Amino acids are building blocks (or monomers) of proteins.

Studying amino acids helps us understand the structure/function relationship of many biomolecules, such as hormones and the primary structure of insulin.

Stereochemistry in amino acids refers to the D & L isomers, which determine the spatial arrangement of the groups, making amino acids tetrahedral in nature.

<p>Amino acids are classified based on their side chain properties, such as nonpolar, polar, acidic, and basic.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Amino acids can act as both acids and bases, due to the presence of both an amino group and a carboxylic acid group.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Amino acids undergo titration behavior due to the presence of both acidic and basic functional groups.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Stereochemistry refers to the ‘‘handedness’’ of a molecule and it is used to name the enantiomer of a chiral compound.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The D,L-nomenclature based on D- and L-glyceraldehyde relative to the position of the α-amino group is preferred.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The seven types of amino acids classified based on structure are aliphatic, hydroxy, sulfur-containing, dicarboxylic acid and their amides, diamino, aromatic, and imino or heterocyclic amino acids.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An example of an aliphatic amino acid is Alanine.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The category of hydroxy amino acids includes Serine, Threonine, and Tyrosine.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Proline differs from other amino acids in that it contains an imino group, rather than an amino group.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The two major classes are hydrophilic or polar amino acids, and hydrophobic or nonpolar amino acids.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The D,L-nomenclature system is based on D- and L-glyceraldehyde relative to the position of the α-amino group.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Fischer’s projection is a simple representation used in stereochemistry, where the longest chain is oriented vertically and the more highly oxidized carbon is at the top.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>D-forms of amino acids are only present in some antibiotics and in bacterial cell walls.</p> Signup and view all the answers