Question:medium
The chemical structure shown in the image is also known as?
The chemical structure shown in the image is also known as?
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Look for an indole ring with a 5-OH and an ethylamine tail - that is serotonin.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)
- N-methyl phenylamine
- 3-Methoxytyramine
- Phenethylamine
Show Solution
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Read the molecule by its skeleton. A bicyclic indole ring bearing a hydroxyl at carbon 5 and an ethylamine side chain is the signature of serotonin, formally named 5-hydroxytryptamine, abbreviated 5-HT.
Step 2: Trace the pathway to confirm the identity. The amino acid tryptophan is converted to 5-hydroxytryptophan by the rate limiting enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase, and a decarboxylation step then removes the carboxyl group to yield 5-HT. The retained 5-OH on the indole ring is what the name encodes.
Step 3: Match against the options. An indole-based amine cannot be a plain phenyl amine such as phenethylamine or N-methyl phenylamine, both of which lack the fused five-membered nitrogen ring. 3-Methoxytyramine carries a methoxy-substituted benzene ring derived from dopamine, again no indole. Only 5-HT fits.
Step 4: Clinically this molecule drives vasoconstriction and smooth muscle stimulation and is central to mood regulation, which reinforces that the depicted indoleamine is serotonin.
\[\boxed{\text{5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)}}\]
Step 2: Trace the pathway to confirm the identity. The amino acid tryptophan is converted to 5-hydroxytryptophan by the rate limiting enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase, and a decarboxylation step then removes the carboxyl group to yield 5-HT. The retained 5-OH on the indole ring is what the name encodes.
Step 3: Match against the options. An indole-based amine cannot be a plain phenyl amine such as phenethylamine or N-methyl phenylamine, both of which lack the fused five-membered nitrogen ring. 3-Methoxytyramine carries a methoxy-substituted benzene ring derived from dopamine, again no indole. Only 5-HT fits.
Step 4: Clinically this molecule drives vasoconstriction and smooth muscle stimulation and is central to mood regulation, which reinforces that the depicted indoleamine is serotonin.
\[\boxed{\text{5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)}}\]
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