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Lysine and arginine are called basic amino acids because their side chains are:
APositively charged
BNegatively charged
CCompletely uncharged
DChemically identical
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. Positively charged
1. Amino acids are grouped by the chemistry of their R group, or side chain.
2. The side chains of lysine and arginine both carry a positive charge.
3. Positively charged side chains behave as bases, so these are the basic amino acids.
4. Negatively charged side chains would instead make an amino acid acidic.
_Source: OpenStax Biology for AP(R) Courses (CC BY 4.0), Ch 3 'Biological Macromolecules', sections 3.1-3.5_
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