Question

From which amino acid is the compound agmatine derived?

Short answer

Agmatine is derived from arginine by decarboxylation.

Step-by-step solution

Step 1: Agmatine:

Agmatine is a naturally occurring compound in bacteria, plants, and animals, including humans.Agmatine is a drug that is often used to treat depression, and nerve pain, improve sports performance, and several other ailments.

Structure of agmatine:

Agmatine is made up of an amino group, a four-carbon aliphatic chain, and a guanidino group.

Arginine is the only amino acid that contains the guanidino group and can be used to produce agmatine.

Derivation of agmatine: 

Agmatine does not have a carboxylate group; the arginine, on the other hand, contains the carboxylic group.

Decarboxylation reaction of arginine leaves behind the compound agmatine. The conversion reaction is shown below:

Therefore, Agmatine is derived from arginine by decarboxylation.