Amino Acid Lab Write-up 1

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University of Guelph *

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2580

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Biology

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Jan 9, 2024

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Molecular properties of amino acids 1-1 Lab 1: Amino Acids Write-up Name: _________________________ ID#: ___________________________ TA: ___________________________ Section: ________________________ 1. Draw a scaled diagram of TLC plate, indicating the colour of each spot. Calculate the R f value for each spot (show one sample calculation) and put them in a table (the mix will have two spots and thus two R f values). Based on the R f values and colour, which two amino acids are present in the mixture? (3 marks) Rf values of known, unknown, and a mix of amino acids Sample Rf Value mix.1 (purple) 0.338 mix.2 (orange) 0.689 Pro (S1) 0.500 Val (S2) 0.649 Phe (S3) 0.757 Lys (S4) 0.338 F1 0.608 F2 0.608 F3 0.608 F4 0.257 F5 0.257 F6 0.257 The two amino acids present in the mixture are Lys and Val. This is known due to their similar Rf values and their similar colours of spots. Rf=(distance moved by substance)/distance moved by solvent front) Rf pro=(3.70cm)/(7.40cm) Rf pro=0.500 BIOC*2580 – Introductory Biochemistry Figure 1. Results of a thin-layer chromatography experiment including an amino acid mix, four known amino acids, and six unknown amino acids.
Molecular properties of amino acids 1-2 2. Look at the TLC plate spots from the six collected fractions, Explain which amino acid eluted from the column first, and which eluted second. How can you tell? (2 marks) F1, F2, and F3 eluted from the column first. This is known as during the procedure these samples were collected first. F4, F5, and F6 were eluted and collected second. Using the TLC plate to measure the distance of the spots and the distance of the solvent front, the Rf values can be calculated. With this, an inverse relationship between Rf value and elution volume can be concluded. As the Rf value increases the elution volume decrease, and as the Rf value decreases the elution volume increases. F1, F2, and F3 have a larger Rf value than F4, F5, and F6 and therefore have a smaller elution volume. 3. Why did they elute from the ion-exchange column in this order? Explain these observations based on the charges on the two amino acids in the unknown mixture. (2 marks) F1, F2, and F3 elute from the column first because they have a net charge of zero at pH 4.0 which is the columns current pH. This means they will not bind to the column because they cannot displace the already bound Na+ ions in the column matrix. F4, F5, and F6 elute second because they have a net charge of +1 and will displace the bound Na+ ions. They will stay in the column until it is washed with the Tris buffer which raises the pH to 12.0 and changes the net charge to -1. This causes the amino acid to lose its ability to bind to the matrix and therefore elutes from the column. 4. Explain the relative order of R f values for the four standard amino acids on the TLC plate based on their polarity and molecular structure. (2 marks) The relative order of Rf values for the four standard amino acids from smallest to largest are Lys, Pro, Val, Phe. Rf value depends on the distance the amino acid travels along the solvent front. As the distance increases, so does the Rf value. The distance depends on the polarity of the amino acid. The more non- polar the amino acid, the farther it will travel with the non-polar mobile solvent. The more polar the amino acid, the less it will travel as it’s attracted to the polar stationary silica gel. Finally, polarity is based on the molecular structure of the amino acid. They each have different side chains which come with different elements that have different electronegativities and thus different polarities. The order from most polar to least polar is Lys, Pro, Val, Phe. 5. Estimate the volume of the AA standard you spotted. Using the concentration of the standards given in the reagents section, and the volume spotted, calculate the average mass of the standards in g you spotted on the TLC plate. (1 mark) BIOC*2580 – Introductory Biochemistry
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