Amino Acid

amino acidsSee all videos for this article

amino acid, any of a group of organic molecules that consist of a basic amino group (―NH₂), an acidic carboxyl group (―COOH), and an organic R group (or side chain) that is unique to each amino acid. The term amino acid is short for α-amino [alpha-amino] carboxylic acid. Each molecule contains a central carbon (C) atom, called the α-carbon, to which both an amino and a carboxyl group are attached. The remaining two bonds of the α-carbon atom are generally satisfied by a hydrogen (H) atom and the R group. The formula of a general amino acid is:

The amino acids differ from each other in the particular chemical structure of the R group.