Amino acids
Amino acids Amino acids are organic compounds that serve as the building blocks of proteins , which are essential molecules in all living organisms. Chemically, an amino acid consists of a central carbon atom, known as the alpha (α) carbon , to which four groups are attached: an amino group (–NH2) , a carboxyl group (–COOH) , a hydrogen atom (H) , and a distinctive side chain (R group) that varies for each amino acid. The side chain determines the chemical nature and properties of the amino acid, such as whether it is acidic, basic, polar, non-polar, or aromatic. Amino acids are linked together through peptide bonds to form proteins, which carry out a vast array of biological functions, including acting as enzymes, hormones, structural components, and signaling molecules. Standard amino acids are the twenty amino acids that are universally found in proteins and are incorporated into proteins during ribosomal protein synthesis in all living organisms. These amino acids ar...