A young scientist was interested in creating a dipeptide using L-alanine and L-glycine. How many different
dipeptides can be generated?
(1) One
(2) Two
(3) Three
(4) Four

📘 Problem Statement

A young scientist wants to create a dipeptide using L-alanine and L-glycine. How many different dipeptides can be generated?

Options:

1. One

2. Two

3. Three

4. Four

🔬 What is a Dipeptide?

A dipeptide is a molecule consisting of two amino acids linked by a peptide bond. The bond forms when the carboxyl group of one amino acid reacts with the amino group of another, releasing a molecule of water. This reaction forms the dipeptide.

In this case, the two amino acids in question are L-alanine and L-glycine. Both are L-forms (the naturally occurring isomer of amino acids), which will be crucial in determining the different ways they can form peptide bonds.

🧠 Analyzing the Possibilities

There are two distinct possibilities for creating a dipeptide from L-alanine and L-glycine:

1. L-alanine can be linked to L-glycine through a peptide bond. The sequence will be: L-alanine → L-glycine.

2. L-glycine can be linked to L-alanine through a peptide bond. The sequence will be: L-glycine → L-alanine.

📊 How Many Dipeptides?

When creating dipeptides from two different amino acids, the order in which they are linked matters. Since L-alanine and L-glycine are distinct amino acids, there are two possible dipeptides that can be formed:

1. Alanine-Glycine (Ala-Gly)

2. Glycine-Alanine (Gly-Ala)

Thus, there are two distinct dipeptides possible when combining L-alanine and L-glycine.

✅ Conclusion

The total number of different dipeptides that can be formed from L-alanine and L-glycine is:

2. Two

💡 Key Takeaways

• Dipeptides are molecules made from two amino acids linked by a peptide bond.

• The order of amino acids in a dipeptide determines its identity, so there can be multiple forms of the same dipeptide.

• When using two different amino acids, like L-alanine and L-glycine, two distinct dipeptides can be created: Ala-Gly and Gly-Ala.

• The peptide bond formation process plays a vital role in protein synthesis and the development of complex biomolecules.