What is the product of the reaction below? H2N-C-C-O-H H-N-C-O-O-H
a. NH2COOH b. H2NCOOH c. NH2COO2H d. H2NCOO2H
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The reaction shown involves two molecules:
- H2N-C-C-O-H, which appears to be an amino acid with an amino group (-NH2) and a hydroxyl group (-OH) attached to a carbon backbone.
- H-N-C-O-O-H, which appears to be a carboxylic acid functional group (-COOH) attached to an amino group (-NH2).
To determine the product, let’s break down the reaction:
- Functional Groups Involved:
- The first molecule has an amino group (-NH2), a hydroxyl group (-OH), and a carbon backbone (C-C). This looks like an amino acid, possibly serine, which has a hydroxymethyl group (-CH2OH) attached to the alpha carbon.
- The second molecule has an amino group (-NH2) and a carboxyl group (-COOH), indicating it’s another amino acid, potentially glutamic acid or aspartic acid.
- Reaction Mechanism:
- The reaction appears to be a peptide bond formation between the amino group of one amino acid and the carboxyl group of the other. In a peptide bond formation, the hydroxyl group (-OH) from the carboxyl group of one amino acid and the hydrogen atom (H) from the amino group of the other amino acid are eliminated as water (H2O).
- The result is the formation of a peptide bond (-C-N-) linking the two amino acids.
- Product:
- The product of this reaction will be a dipeptide, specifically glycylglycine (as we are combining an amino acid with both an amino and a carboxyl group). In this case, the dipeptide would have the formula H2N-COOH as part of the reaction, which simplifies to NH2COOH.
- Correct Answer:
- The correct answer is a. NH2COOH.
Explanation: In the reaction, two amino acids undergo a dehydration reaction, forming a peptide bond and producing water. The resulting product is a dipeptide with the formula NH2COOH. This compound is typically known as glycine in the case of the simplest dipeptide. Thus, option a. NH2COOH is correct.