Amino Acid
An organic compound containing both an amino group and a carboxyl group attached to the same carbon.
Formula / equation
H₂N–CHR–COOH
Unit
Dimensionless
In depth
Twenty amino acids are encoded in proteins, differing only in the side chain R, which may be non-polar, polar, acidic or basic. All except glycine are chiral, and life uses exclusively the L configuration. The side chains determine how a protein folds and functions.
Examples in the real world
Glycine with a hydrogen side chain; cysteine, whose thiol group forms structural disulfide bridges.