Is histidine charged at pH 7?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking if the amino acid histidine has a positive or negative charge at a physiological pH of 7. This involves understanding the ionization state of histidine, which can be influenced by pH levels due to its side chain properties.
Answer
0 or neutral, but slightly positive in some conditions
The final answer is 0 or slightly positive (close to neutral)
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is 0 or slightly positive (close to neutral)
More Information
Histidine can be a zwitterion at pH 7, making it net neutral, but it can also have slightly positive properties under certain physiological conditions.
Tips
Don't assume histidine is fully protonated or deprotonated since pH 7 is close to its side chain pKa (~6).
Sources
- Charge of Histidine at pH 7? : r/Mcat - Reddit - reddit.com
- histidine charge at pH 7 | Student Doctor Network - forums.studentdoctor.net
- Why is Histidine positively charged at pH 7 ? - MCAT - UWorld - uworld.com