C    Demo General Model Amino Acid -- ANSWERS

4.    Demo:  Teacher shows a general model (symbol) for an amino acid.  Let the generalized symbol  of a rectangle             represent an amino acid.  Draw this generalized symbol in this box: 

 

                 This is an artistic rectangle, but I could not get it to fit in a box.  You're looking for
          a rectangle within a rectangle, but this is difficult to draw.  Toolbars not available now.

                               

5.     You are about to study only the molecular models & structural formulas for an amino acid.

                      Click here to review the four types of chemical formulas.
(These four types of formulas are empirical, molecular, structural and molecular models.)

Demo: Teacher now shows a photo of an actual molecular model of an entire amino acid.

                                               

                                                Molecular Model of an Amino Acid

      Redraw the entire amino acid as a structural formula. 
(Note  -- In the molecular model pictured above, the R group (orange) was rotated to the "below" position.  After a web search, I found a good structural formula of an amino acid (pictured beneath), but the R group is now on the "top" of the molecule.  Either representation (the model above or the structural formula below) is correct, but I did not want the change in molecular rotation to confuse you.  (Even an ice cream cone looks different from different angles, but it's still the same ice cream cone.)  Cool example?

                                             (R in above rotation)
               
            H                          R                           O
                `                        I                         =
                   N                   C                     C
                 /                       I                          = O-H
            H                          H                           

                   Amino Group      Central Portion   Acid (carboxyl) Group
             (constant)                (R varies)            (constant)

    NOTE  I had no tool bars above.  Some single bonds were represented (poorly) by ` or / or I. 
The double bonds (=) are angled improperly.

        Flipping the R (above) for the H (below) we now get the following:

 

                                    H

                                   
          H2N            C             COOH   (I still can't do subscripts here!)

                                    R

    See also the next dashed box for more details on R groups.  Thank you!!

         

                More Details on R groups (Bio H students)

      Here are some more "R" groups.  Firstly, we have two general formulas for amino acids.  Then we have structural formulas for three specific amino acids (glycine,  valine, methionine).
 

                                

    Note the positions of the R groups are rotated below.  Sorry, not my choice!

            

       

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