The disease sickle cell anaemia is marked by the presence of an abnormal protein in the blood of people with this disease - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 5 - 2008 - Paper 1
Question 5
The disease sickle cell anaemia is marked by the presence of an abnormal protein in the blood of people with this disease. The sixth position in the normal protein c... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The disease sickle cell anaemia is marked by the presence of an abnormal protein in the blood of people with this disease - VCE - SSCE Chemistry - Question 5 - 2008 - Paper 1
Step 1
molecular mass
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Answer
The normal protein chain, which contains glutamic acid, is heavier than the sickle cell protein chain, which contains valine. Since glutamic acid has a higher molecular weight than valine, we can conclude that the normal protein chain has the greater molecular mass.
Step 2
1H NMR spectrum
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Answer
Both protein chains display distinct 1H NMR spectra due to the difference in amino acid composition. The presence of different side chains in the protein means they will generate different NMR signals.