The general structural formula corresponds to which class of biomolecules?

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Multiple Choice

The general structural formula corresponds to which class of biomolecules?

A molecule that has both an amino group and a carboxyl group attached to the same carbon (the alpha carbon), with a variable side chain (R), defines amino acids. This arrangement gives rise to the characteristic backbone H2N–CHR–COOH, and at physiological pH it commonly exists as a zwitterion, enabling peptide bond formation to build proteins. The other biomolecule classes have different backbones: nucleic acids are built from nucleotides with a sugar–phosphate framework and bases; monosaccharides are simple sugars with carbonyl and multiple hydroxyl groups; lipids are composed largely of hydrocarbon chains and glycerol backing with fatty acids, not the amino and carboxyl pair on the same carbon. Therefore, the general structural formula described corresponds to primary α-amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.

A molecule that has both an amino group and a carboxyl group attached to the same carbon (the alpha carbon), with a variable side chain (R), defines amino acids. This arrangement gives rise to the characteristic backbone H2N–CHR–COOH, and at physiological pH it commonly exists as a zwitterion, enabling peptide bond formation to build proteins. The other biomolecule classes have different backbones: nucleic acids are built from nucleotides with a sugar–phosphate framework and bases; monosaccharides are simple sugars with carbonyl and multiple hydroxyl groups; lipids are composed largely of hydrocarbon chains and glycerol backing with fatty acids, not the amino and carboxyl pair on the same carbon. Therefore, the general structural formula described corresponds to primary α-amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.

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