On electrolysis in acidic solution, amino acids migrate towards cathode while in alkaline solution they migrate towards anode.
Amino acid exists as a dipolar ion. When an ion transforms to a positive ion during electrolysis in an acidic medium, it migrates to the cathode, whereas when an ion changes to a negative ion during electrolysis in a basic medium, it migrates to the anode. In acidic solution, COO - COO - group of zwitter ion formed from αα -amino acid is protonated and NH3+NH3+ groups is left unchanged while in basic solution deprotonation converts NH+3 to NH2 and COO− is left unchanged.
