Consider the compound 2-amino-3-hydroxypropanoic acid. How many total heteroatoms (atoms other than — IUPAC and Nomenclature Chemistry Question
Question
Consider the compound 2-amino-3-hydroxypropanoic acid. How many total heteroatoms (atoms other than Carbon and Hydrogen) are present in one molecule of this compound?
Answer: 4
💡 Solution & Explanation
The structural formula is $HO-CH_2-CH(NH_2)-COOH$. The heteroatoms include 1 Oxygen in the hydroxy group, 1 Nitrogen in the amino group, and 2 Oxygens in the carboxylic acid group. Total heteroatoms = $1 + 1 + 2 = 4$.
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