Because of their highly reactive amphoteric nature, -amino acids dramatically alter their ionic structure based strictly on environmental pH. At extremely high pH (a strongly basic medium), an amino a

Question

Because of their highly reactive amphoteric nature, $\alpha$ -amino acids dramatically alter their ionic structure based strictly on environmental pH. At extremely high pH (a strongly basic medium), an amino acid predominantly and overwhelmingly exists in which specific ionic state?

Prashant Kotian · Accepted Answer

Correct answer: C. In a strongly basic (alkaline) high pH solution, the abundant external ions forcefully strip the mobile acidic proton from the zwitterion's ammonium group (), converting it back into a neutral group. The carboxyl group firmly remains a deprotonated negative carboxylate (), leaving the entire molecule as a net anion.

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