Two molecules of amino acids are linked by

General
1

two molecules of amino acids are linked by

2

LectureNotes said two molecules of amino acids are linked by

Answer:
Two molecules of amino acids are linked by a type of covalent bond known as a peptide bond. This bond forms through a dehydration synthesis (or condensation) reaction, where a molecule of water (H₂O) is released during the bonding process. Here is a detailed breakdown of how this occurs:

Solution By Steps:

  1. Dehydration Synthesis Reaction:

    • During the formation of a peptide bond, the carboxyl group (-COOH) of one amino acid reacts with the amino group (-NH_2) of another amino acid.
    • This reaction releases a water molecule (H_2O): one hydrogen atom is removed from the amino group of one amino acid, and a hydroxyl group (-OH) is removed from the carboxyl group of the other amino acid.

  2. Formation of Peptide Bond:

    • The result of this dehydration reaction is the formation of a peptide bond (-CO-NH-), linking the carboxyl carbon atom of one amino acid to the nitrogen atom of another.

      \text{R}_1-\text{COOH} + \text{R}_2-\text{NH}_2 \rightarrow \text{R}_1-\text{CO}-\text{N}H-\text{R}_2 + \text{H}_2\text{O}

  3. Example with Generic Amino Acids:

    • If we consider two generic amino acids, R₁- and R₂-, the reaction can be illustrated as follows:

      Reaction:

      \text{H}_2\text{N-CH(R}_1\text{)-COOH} + \text{H}_2\text{N-CH(R}_2\text{)-COOH} \rightarrow \text{H}_2\text{N-CH(R}_1\text{)-CO-NH-CH(R}_2\text{)-COOH} + \text{H}_2\text{O}

Final Answer:

Two molecules of amino acids are linked by a peptide bond.

The peptide bond plays a crucial role in forming peptides and proteins, where multiple amino acids are linked together in a chain through successive peptide bonds. This forms the primary structure of proteins, vital for their biological functions.