is alanine Basic at Ph=2 ?

Answer

To determine whether alanine is basic at pH = 2, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the nature of alanine
Alanine is an amino acid with the following structure:
- It has an amino group (-NH2), a carboxyl group (-COOH), and a side chain (methyl group -CH3).
- At neutral pH (around 7), alanine exists in its zwitterionic form, where the amino group is protonated (-NH3+) and the carboxyl group is deprotonated (-COO-).

**Hint:** Recall the structure of amino acids and their functional groups.

### Step 2: Analyze the pH condition
At pH = 2, the environment is acidic. In acidic conditions, the concentration of H+ ions is high.

**Hint:** Remember that low pH values indicate an acidic environment.

### Step 3: Protonation of alanine
In an acidic solution (like at pH = 2), the amino group of alanine will be protonated. This means:
- The amino group (-NH2) will accept a proton (H+) and become (-NH3+).
- The carboxyl group (-COOH) will remain in its protonated form.

Thus, at pH = 2, alanine can be represented as:
- H3N+-CH(CH3)-COOH

**Hint:** Consider how amino acids behave in acidic environments regarding protonation.

### Step 4: Determine the basicity
Basicity refers to the ability of a compound to accept protons. Since at pH = 2, the amino group is already protonated and carries a positive charge, alanine cannot accept more protons. Therefore, it does not exhibit basic behavior.

**Hint:** Think about the definition of a base and how protonation affects the ability to accept more protons.

### Conclusion
At pH = 2, alanine is not basic; instead, it is in a protonated form and behaves more like an acid.

**Final Answer:** No, alanine is not basic at pH = 2.