Question

Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, is a peptide and has the given structure. Which of the following is correct about the molecule?

• A. It has four functional groups
• B. It has three functional groups
• C. On hydrolysis, it produces only one amino acid
• D. On hydrolysis, it produces a mixture of amino acids

Answer 1

Answer: (A), (D)

The correct options are
A It has four functional groups
D On hydrolysis, it produces a mixture of amino acids

Aspartame contains two amino acids joined together by a peptide bond. Therefore, on hydrolysis, aspartame will produce a mixture of 2 amino acids. It has four functional groups (ester, carboxylate, amine and amide).