The enzyme aconitase catalyzes the hydration of the alkene functional group of aconitic acid to give two products,citric acid and isocitric acid.Isocitric acid is optically active;citric acid is not optically active.Based on your knowledge of alkene hydration and optical activity,the structure of citric acid is:
D)cannot be determined

Question

The enzyme aconitase catalyzes the hydration of the alkene functional group of aconitic acid to give two products,citric acid and isocitric acid.Isocitric acid is optically active;citric acid is not optically active.Based on your knowledge of alkene hydration and optical activity,the structure of citric acid is: 
D)cannot be determined

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The hydration of the alkene functional group of aconitic acid involves the addition of a water molecule across the double bond, leading to the formation of a chiral center. This results in the formation of two enantiomers, one of which is optically active (isocitric acid) and the other is not (citric acid). Therefore, the structure of citric acid must be achiral, which rules out choices A, C, and D. The only remaining option is B.

The Enzyme Aconitase Catalyzes the Hydration of the Alkene Functional