The Zwitterion – Nature, Occurrence, Ongoing Research
What in the world is a zwitterion? What is its importance? Molecules are bonded atoms that act as a unit. They are electrically balanced. This means they contain a total number of electrons equal to the number of protons. If a chemical structure does not possess an equal number of electrons and protons it is an ion. Molecules as a unit are electrically neutral. However, there may be local charges due to geometry or electronegativity. These charges are mostly less than that of a proton or electron. There is an exception. It is the zwitterion. This kind of ion has a full positive and a full negative charge. In organic chemistry there may be an alkyl backbone consisting of carbon (C) and hydrogen (H). Other groups (pendant groups) include hydroxyl,…