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11 grade chemistry others

The optically inactive amino acidsA.LysineB.GlycineC.ArginineD.Alanine

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1 Year agoGrade
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1 Year ago

The optically inactive amino acid among the options provided is:

B. Glycine

Glycine is optically inactive because it is the only amino acid that does not have a chiral center. Its side chain is a hydrogen atom, resulting in two hydrogen atoms attached to the alpha carbon. This symmetry means glycine cannot exist as a pair of non-superimposable mirror images (enantiomers), making it optically inactive.

The other amino acids listed (lysine, arginine, and alanine) all have chiral centers and are optically active.