Although traces of racemic amino acids have been found in meteorites,nearly all naturally occurring amino acids on Earth have the stereochemistry shown.What is true of this stereochemistry? (Assume R = alkyl)

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Nearly all naturally occurring amino acids on Earth have the (S) configuration. This is because life on Earth uses enzymes that only recognize the (S) stereoisomer of amino acids. While racemic mixtures of amino acids have been found in meteorites, this is believed to be due to non-biological processes.

Although Traces of Racemic Amino Acids Have Been Found in Meteorites,nearly