CHE 476 Biochemistry I

Quiz 1: Your wake-up call

summer 2017
On May 30, 2017, at 5:00 pm, you will submit the answers (only!) on a 3" x 5" card or piece of paper.
Submissions on any other size paper will not be accepted! On this card/paper, in the upper left hand corner,
write your name, Quiz 1, and the date. Then write the numbers of the questions (and letters where appropriate)
below, and next to the corresponding numbers/letters, write your answer.

(1) 1. Draw and name any chiral amino acid.

(5) 2. In each of the following pairs, which is the weaker:

a) base: amino group or amide group?
b) acid: carboxylic acid or hydrochloric acid?
c) acid: acid with a pKa of 1 or acid with a pKa of 10?
d) base: base with a conjugate acid with a pKa of 1 or base with a conjugate acid with a pKa of 10?
e) acid: acid with a pKa of 1 or acid with a Ka of 10?

(6) 3. Draw a(n):

a) ester.
b) conjugate base of a carboxylic acid.
c) amide.

(3) 4. What is a buffer?

(2) 5. What is the ratio of acetate to acetic acid at pH 3.75 if the Ka of acetic acid is 1.8 X 10-5?

CHE 476 Biochemistry I

Quiz 3: Amino acids pK
Functional group
summer 2015
On May 31, 2017, at 5:00 pm, you will submit the answers (only!) on a 3" x 5" card or -amino (lys) 10
piece of paper. Submissions on any other size paper will not be accepted! On this
card/paper, in the upper left hand corner, write your name, Quiz 3, and the date. Then -amino (all) 8
write the numbers of the questions (and letters where appropriate) below, and next to
-carboxyl (all) 2
the corresponding numbers/letters, write your answer.
-carboxyl (asp) 4
(5) 1. Draw -alanine at pH 1. Write the IUPAC name of -alanine beneath your structure.
-carboxyl (glu) 4
(10) 2. Draw L-glutamic acid as it would appear at pH 4. Glutamic acid is 2-amino-1,5- phenolic (tyr) 10
pentandioic acid.
sulfhydryl (cys) 8
(10) 3. Draw the dipeptide, L-lysinyl-D-glutamine at pH 13. Glutamine is 2-amino-5- guanidino (arg) 12
amidopentanoic acid. Lysine is 2,6-diaminohexanoic acid.
a) What is the net charge of this dipeptide at pH 10? imidazolium (his) 6
b) What is the net charge of this dipeptide at pH 2?