Which one of the following biomolecules is correctly characterised?
Which one of the following biomolecules is correctly characterised?
Lecithin-A phosphorylated glyceride found in cell membrane
Palmitic acid-An unsaturated fatty acid with 18 carbon atoms
Adenylic acid-Adenosine with a glucose phosphate molecule
Alanine amino acid-Contains an amino group and an acidic group anywhere in the molecule
Solution
1. Lecithin is a group of phospholipids. It is composed of units of choline, phosphoric acid, fatty acids, and glycerol. It occurs in animal and plant tissues and egg yolk.
2. Palmitic acid is one of the most common saturated fatty acids found in animals and plants. It has 16 carbons including the carboxyl carbon.
3. Adenylic acid is a nucleotide consisting of adenine, ribose or deoxyribose, and a phosphate group. It is a constituent of DNA or RNA. It is also called adenosine monophosphate.
4. Amino acids are organic acids (with carboxylic group -COOH) having an amino group ($–\mathrm{NH}_2$) generally attached to carbon or carbon next to the carboxylic group. The carbon also bears a variable alkyl group (R) or hydrogen or hydrocarbon. In alanine it is represented by the methyl group.