CHAPTER 3: PROTEIN EXERCISES

Acid–Base Properties of Amino Acids (Section 20.5)

20.40 At room temperature, most amino acids are not very soluble in water. Explain why.

ANSWERS: Most amino acids are not very soluble in water because of strong intermolecular
forces within their crystal structures.

20.41 Draw the zwitterion structure for each of the following amino acids.

ANSWER:

20.42 Draw the zwitterion structure for each of the following amino acids.

ANSWER:

20.44 Draw the structure of glycine at each of the following pH values.

ANSWER:

Cysteine and Disulfide Bonds (Section 20.6)

20.53 When two cysteine molecules dimerize, what happens to the R groups present?

ANSWER: They react with each other to produce a covalent disulfide bond.

Peptides (Section 20.7)

20.55 What two functional groups are involved in the formation of a peptide bond?
ANSWER: -COOH and –NH2

20.56 Write a generalized structural representation for a peptide bond.

ANSWER: O H (-CONH)

C N

20.59 Write out the full structure of the tripeptide Val–Phe–Cys.

ANSWER:

20.61 Identify the amino acids contained in each of the following tripeptides.

A. B.

ANSWER: A. Ser – Ala – Cys B. Asp – Thr – Asn

20.67 Consider the tripeptide Ala–Val–Gly.

A. Which amino acid is at the N-terminal end of the peptide?

B. Which amino acid is at the C-terminal end of the peptide?

C. Which of the amino acids present, if any, are essential amino acids?

D. Which of the amino acids present, if any, are polar neutral amino acids?

ANSWERS:

A. Ala B. Gly C. Val D. None