what is the major species present in a solution of glycine at a ph of 2

H3NCH2COOH

Ooops, add a + to the end of that ion.

To determine the major species present in a solution of glycine at a pH of 2, we need to consider the acid-base properties of glycine.

Glycine is an amino acid with both an acidic carboxyl group (COOH) and a basic amino group (NH2). It can act as both an acid and a base, undergoing protonation and deprotonation reactions.

At a low pH of 2, the solution is highly acidic. In this acidic environment, the amino group (NH2) of glycine will be protonated to NH3+, while the carboxyl group (COOH) will also exist in its protonated form as COOH+.

So, in a glycine solution at pH 2, the major species present will be NH3+ and COOH+.

To determine this, you can refer to the acid dissociation constant, Ka, of glycine. The pKa values indicate the degree of ionization of an acid (lower pKa indicates stronger acid).

Glycine has two pKa values: pKa1 = 2.35 (corresponding to the carboxyl group) and pKa2 = 9.78 (corresponding to the amino group).

At pH 2, which is below the pKa1 value, the carboxyl group will be fully protonated (COOH+), while the amino group will be protonated to a significant extent (NH3+).