When 9 amino acids are found in an alpha helix, how many hydrogen bonds will be present in the structure?Group of answer choices5324

Break Down the Problem

1. Identify the structure and characteristics of an alpha helix.
2. Determine how hydrogen bonds form in the alpha helix structure.

Relevant Concepts

1. In an alpha helix, each amino acid forms a hydrogen bond with the amino acid located four positions earlier in the sequence.
2. The number of hydrogen bonds can be calculated based on the number of amino acids present in the helix.

Analysis and Detail

1. For an alpha helix of n amino acids, the number of hydrogen bonds, H, can be calculated as: $H = n - 4$ This is because the first amino acid cannot form a hydrogen bond, and each subsequent amino acid forms one bond with the one four residues earlier.

2. Given n = 9: $H = 9 - 4 = 5$

Verify and Summarize

• The calculation confirms that for an alpha helix composed of 9 amino acids, there will be 5 hydrogen bonds.

Final Answer

The number of hydrogen bonds present in the alpha helix with 9 amino acids is 5.