Assignment
Experiment Pre-Case Study
Address these questions in your essay:
1. Is base-catalyzed racemization the most favorable acid-base reaction for natural amino acids? Determine the most acidic H atom in compound 1 and L-alanine. Are they the same?
2. The theory relies on crystallization. Are there large solid deposits of amino acids in nature? Are amino acids more or less soluble in water than compound 1? Are crystals of one enantiomer more favorable than crystals of a racemic mixture?
Discuss whether or not you believe the results of this experiment. Do you think this experiment applies to natural amino acids in a prebiotic environment?
Essay Requirements:
1. Minimum of 1-page, double spaced. Maximum of 3 pages (including references).
2. I recommend these search engines for finding relevant chemistry literature:
• Scholar google
• Scifinder (make a login with your UCR email using this link)
3. Provide at least *TWO* citations in Journal of the American Chemical Society format, NOT including the Noorudin paper. At least one citation must be from the scientific literature, the other may be from a religious text, but you must cite a specific chapter and verse.
4. Your essay must include a References Sectionat the end. You will mark your citations in your essay text by having a superscript number at the end of the sentence, like this.1 Each subsequent citation will also get a number, like here.2 This way, I know where that statement, fact, etc originated from. This is how we cite stuff in science. If you chose a religious text, you will still follow this format. Here I am citing a biblical line about jewelry.
References
(1) Scepaniak, J. J.; Young, J. A.; Bontchev, R. P.; Smith, J. M. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl.2009, 48 (17), 3158-3160.
(2) Harman, W. H.; Lin, T.-P.; Peters, J. C. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl.2014, 53 (4), 1081-1086.
(3) King James Bible, Ezekiel 16:17.
The general format for citations is this:
Author, First; Author, Second."Article Title (optional)" Abbreviated Journal Name.year, volume, pages.
Chirality and the Origins of Life: A Case Study in Organic Chemistry by Michael C. Young and Richard J. Hooley.