Unconfirmed rumour has it that the NASA Curiosity rover may have found evidence for the existence of life on the Mars surface in the form of traces of molecules that seem to resemble an amino acid. While the scientific soundness of these claims remains fiercely debated amongst researchers the initial analysis of the alien amino acid suggested that it carried three different ionisable groups. This included an alpha carboxyl group with a pka of 2.30 but surprisingly no alpha amino group. In addition the amino acid contained both the side chains found in glutamate and the one found in lysine. i) In less than 50 words provide a general explanation on how you can determine the pI of the alien amino acid. ii) Use the pka table below to determine the isoelectric point of the alien amino acid to two decimal places, show your working out and state the final result in a full sentence.
Unconfirmed rumour has it that the NASA Curiosity rover may have found evidence for the existence of life on the Mars surface in the form of traces of molecules that seem to resemble an amino acid. While the scientific soundness of these claims remains fiercely debated amongst researchers the initial analysis of the alien amino acid suggested that it carried three different ionisable groups. This included an alpha carboxyl group with a pka of 2.30 but surprisingly no alpha amino group. In addition the amino acid contained both the side chains found in glutamate and the one found in lysine. i) In less than 50 words provide a general explanation on how you can determine the pI of the alien amino acid. ii) Use the pka table below to determine the isoelectric point of the alien amino acid to two decimal places, show your working out and state the final result in a full sentence.
Biochemistry
9th Edition
ISBN:9781319114671
Author:Lubert Stryer, Jeremy M. Berg, John L. Tymoczko, Gregory J. Gatto Jr.
Publisher:Lubert Stryer, Jeremy M. Berg, John L. Tymoczko, Gregory J. Gatto Jr.
Chapter1: Biochemistry: An Evolving Science
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 1P
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Question
Unconfirmed rumour has it that the NASA Curiosity rover may have found evidence for the existence of life on the Mars surface in the form of traces of molecules that seem to resemble an amino acid.
While the scientific soundness of these claims remains fiercely debated amongst researchers the initial analysis of the alien amino acid suggested that it carried three different ionisable groups. This included an alpha carboxyl group with a pka of 2.30 but surprisingly no alpha amino group. In addition the amino acid contained both the side chains found in glutamate and the one found in lysine.
i) In less than 50 words provide a general explanation on how you can determine the pI of the alien amino acid.
ii) Use the pka table below to determine the isoelectric point of the alien amino acid to two decimal places, show your working out and state the final result in a full sentence.
Transcribed Image Text:Amino Acid
Name
Glycine
Alanine
Valine
Leucine
Isoleucine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Tryptophan
Proline
Serine
Threonine
Cysteine
Tyrosine
Asparagine
Glutamine
Aspartic Acid
Glutamic Acid
Lysine
Arginine
Histidine
Alpha Carboxy
2.34
2.34
2.32
2.36
2.36
2.28
1.83
2.38
1.99
2.21
2.63
1.71
2.2
2.02
2.17
2.09
2.19
2.18
2.17
1.82
pka Value
+Alpha Amino Side Chain
9.60
9.69
9.62
9.60
9.68
9.21
9.13
9.39
10.60
9.15
9.10
10.78
9.11
8.84
9.13
9.82
9.67
8.95
9.04
9.17
8.33
10.07
3.86
4.25
10.79
12.48
6.04
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