Question

A basic amino acid is
(a) Leucine
(b) Methionine
(c) Aspartic acid
(d) Lysine

Answer 1

Hint: The amino acid plays a crucial role in helping the body tissue to grow and recover from damage. It is obtained from the food as the body does not make it. It is encoded by the codons AAA and AAG.

Complete answer:
Basic amino acids are polar and positively charged. Their side chains contain nitrogen and resemble ammonia, which is a base and attract a hydrogen atom.
Basic structure-

There are three amino acids in this category
- Lysine
- Arginine
- Histidine
So, the correct answer is, ‘ Lysine.’

Additional Information:
An amino acid is an organic compound that combines to form proteins which are the building blocks of the body. They play an important role in the growth and development of the body.
An amino acid consists of a basic group(- NH₂) , an acidic carboxyl group(- COOH) , and a side chain or an organic group which is unique to an amino acid.
One the basis of their availability in the human body they have been classified into two types
- Essential Amino acids are those which are not formed in our body and are obtained from food.
- The non- essential amino acids are those which are produced by our body.
Properties of amino acids-
- They have a high melting point.

- They are water- soluble.

- They decompose on heating.

The amino acids are considered to be the precursors of complex protein structures like DNA.

Note: In solid form, the amino acid is present in dipolar form, called zwitterion, it is also called inner salts, which means a hybrid form of ion. Zwitterion contains an equal number of both negatively and positively charged functional groups. For example, an ammonium or amino group has a positive charge as well as a carboxyl group which contains a negative charge.