During a biochemistry lab, a student observes that almost all amino acids show optical activity. Which R-group makes the simplest amino acid an exception to this rule?
Q1. During a biochemistry lab, a student observes that almost all amino acids show optical activity. Which R-group makes the simplest amino acid an exception to this rule?
Answer: Hydrogen atom
Explanation: Glycine has a hydrogen atom as its R-group, making it achiral. Alanine is tempting as it is also small, but it has a methyl group.