It can be quite difficult for students of chemistry who also study biology to get their heads around the chemistry of alpha-amino acids and protein formation. An alpha-amino acid is a molecule that contains both a carboxylic acid (–COOH) and an amine (–NH2) functional group (Figure 1). The alpha refers to the first carbon next to the carbon of the carboxylic acid group.
The human body makes use of 20 ‘standard’ amino acids. These have the same basic structure, only differing by the R group, which is also attached to the alpha carbon. Amino acids can be made in the laboratory, where the amine is attached to the beta, gamma or delta carbons etc. and with different R groups.
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