Question

If an amino acid contained a hydrocarbon (a group of multiple carbons and hydrogens linked together) as its side group, in which of the following categories could it be appropriately designated?

A) hydrophilicB) polar
C) nonpolarD) basicE) acidic

Answer 1

Nonpolar

Step-by-step explanation:

If the side group of the amino acid is an hydrocarbon, the amino acid would be nonpolar, meaning that it would not be able to interact with water, because water is a polar substance. Non polar molecules are only soluble in nonpolar solvents.

The forces between hydrocarbons molecules (London dispersion forces) differ so much from the forces between water molecules (hydrogen bonds), meaning that when put together, those differences would require so much energy to be overcome, so the system (solution) would tend to always be in the lower energy state, meaning that the mixing would not occur.