Thread: Please explain this diagram.

I have researched each compound.

NH3 is stable.
CH is unstable The Carbon atom wants 3 more electrons in its 2nd shell.
CO2 is stable.
CH2 is unstable. The Carbon atom wants 2 more electrons in its 2nd shell.
N is unstable. It needs 3 more electrons in its 2nd shell.
NH is unstable. It needs 2 more electron in its 2nd shell.



So how does it all fit together?

u arent supposed view each section on its own.

its a rather complex compound so based on previous threads, ur knowledge is not enough to analyse the compound.

So you just posted this response to boost your own ego?

Can someone who ISNT full of themselves please answer... condescending morons; please feel free to not post here.

If the hydrocarbon "CH" has 6 electrons and 1 electron.. so thats 5 in its 2nd shell... It shares one with the ammonia... which makes the ammonia unstabe? And it shares one with the carbon dioxide.. which makes it unstable... and shares one with the hydrocarbon to its left... this adds up to 8 electrons.. which makes it stable... but what happens to the ammonia "NH3", and the "CO2" which was already stable.. and now isnt....

hey astrogirl

When studying organic chemistry (which is what this compounds falls under)
There are some basic rules you have to follow.
Carbon forms 4 bonds, think about it logically,
Each atom wants to form a full outer shell of electrons.
carbon has 6 electrons, 2 in the first shell as you call them, and 4 in the 2nd shell, this means it will covalently bond to 4 other atoms.
In reality it is more complicated than this but for our purposes this is the rule.

Now if you look at each carbon in the molecule you can see it is bonded to 4 other
atoms.

Nitrogen has 5 electrons in the 2nd shell so it will covalently bond to 3 other atoms.

Hydrogen only has one available electron so it will only bond to one other atom.

Oxygen - well just follow the rule, 8 total electrons. therefore 2 in the first shell (always) so that leaves 6 left in the second shell allowing it form 2 more bonds to achieve the full outer shell

Another thing with organic chemistry is that there is usually no ionic interaction (except for amino acids in zwitterion form). All bonds are covalent.

another point, CO2 in this compound is not carbon dioxide, it is actually the conjugate base of COOH. this is the carboxylic acid functional group, i would advise you research this to help your understanding.

This level is quite advanced. i would suggest that you master the current material in your course, then if you are still interested read up on electronic structure of atoms to a higher level which will show you how it actually works. then get an introductory organic chemistry book if this is what you are interested in.

Also please don't insult ocean I think he was trying to help but didn't phrase it particularly well =)

What does the + next too NH3, and the - next to CO2 mean?

They are localised areas of electric charge.

So on one of the oxygens in COO. there is a negative charge. (-)

and on the nitrogen there is a positive charge (+)

meaning it has an extra electron, and is missing one.

So the N has a + next to it becasue it HAD 8 electons in its covalance shell due to the 3 hydrogen, but then the carbon took one.. so now it has 7.. which means it has 9 electrons and 10 protons.. which gives it a positive charge...

correct?

hmm i don't know how much work you will have done in acid-base theory but basically.
Well what you need to do is look at histidine in the zwitterion form (your diagram) and in its normal form.

Basically from normal form, the COOH group donates H+ to form the COO- group.

and the NH2 group will act as a base and accept an H+ to form NH3+

zwitterion form (your diagram) and in its normal form.

what is the difference in the forms?

normal form



Zwitterion form



The difference is in the charges, or lack of

just a point here although it looks like the H+ transfer occurs between the same molecule, the H+ that attaches to the NH2 group actually comes from a different histidine molecule, likewise the H+ leaving goes to a different molecule