There's a protein with a neutral amino acid (A) beside a positively-charged amino acid (B). At neutral pH, A is able to remain next to B without any issue. But when the pH changes to 5, suddenly, A moves far away from B. Why?
1) A was likely in a protonated form at neutral pH and became positively charged with the pH change, thus repelling from B.
2) A was likely in a deprotonated form and became negatively charged with the pH change, thus repelling from B.
3) A was likely in a protonated form and became negatively charged with the pH change, thus repelling from B.
4) A was likely in a deprotonated form at neutral pH and became positively charged with the pH change, thus repelling from B.
Answer (2)
A neutral amino acid can become negatively charged at lower pH, causing it to move away from a positively charged amino acid. This behavior is due to changes in the protonation state of the amino acid. Understanding these ionic interactions is important in biochemistry. ;
As pH decreases from neutral to 5, a neutral amino acid can become negatively charged due to deprotonation, leading it to move away from a positively charged amino acid due to repulsion. The correct response identifies this change in charge as the reason for the movement. Therefore, the chosen option is: A was likely in a protonated form and became negatively charged with the pH change, thus repelling from B.
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