Introduction to Amino acid - abs
What is an Amino acid?
Amino Acids are the organic compounds that combine to form proteins, hence they are referred to as the
building components of proteins. These biomolecules are involved in several biological and chemical functions
in the human and animal and are the necessary ingredients for the growth and development of body.
General properties of Amino acids
• They have a very high melting and boiling point.
• Amino acids are white crystalline solid substances.
• In taste, few Amino acids are sweet, tasteless, and bitter.
• Most of the amino acids are soluble in water and are insoluble in organic solvents.
Essential and Non-essential Amino acids
Out of 20 amino acids, our body can easily synthesize a few on its own, which are called non-essential
amino acids. These include alanine, asparagine, arginine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, cysteine, glutamine,
proline, glycine, serine, and tyrosine.
Apart from these, there are other nine amino acids, which are very much essential as they cannot be
synthesized by our body. They are called essential amino acids, and they include isoleucine, histidine,
lysine, leucine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, methionine, threonine, and valine.
Chemistry of Amino acid
There are 20 naturally occurring amino acids which form proteins and peptides. All aa have some common
structural features – an amino group (-NH2), a carboxylate (-COOH) group and a hydrogen-bonded to the
same carbon atom.
They differ from each other in their side-chain called the R group.
The general structure formula of Amino acids is H2NCH RCOOH. Each amino acid has 4 different groups
attached to α- carbon; Amino group, carboxylic acid, a Hydrogen atom and a Side chain (R).
What is an Amino acid?
Amino Acids are the organic compounds that combine to form proteins, hence they are referred to as the
building components of proteins. These biomolecules are involved in several biological and chemical functions
in the human and animal and are the necessary ingredients for the growth and development of body.
General properties of Amino acids
• They have a very high melting and boiling point.
• Amino acids are white crystalline solid substances.
• In taste, few Amino acids are sweet, tasteless, and bitter.
• Most of the amino acids are soluble in water and are insoluble in organic solvents.
Essential and Non-essential Amino acids
Out of 20 amino acids, our body can easily synthesize a few on its own, which are called non-essential
amino acids. These include alanine, asparagine, arginine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, cysteine, glutamine,
proline, glycine, serine, and tyrosine.
Apart from these, there are other nine amino acids, which are very much essential as they cannot be
synthesized by our body. They are called essential amino acids, and they include isoleucine, histidine,
lysine, leucine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, methionine, threonine, and valine.
Chemistry of Amino acid
There are 20 naturally occurring amino acids which form proteins and peptides. All aa have some common
structural features – an amino group (-NH2), a carboxylate (-COOH) group and a hydrogen-bonded to the
same carbon atom.
They differ from each other in their side-chain called the R group.
The general structure formula of Amino acids is H2NCH RCOOH. Each amino acid has 4 different groups
attached to α- carbon; Amino group, carboxylic acid, a Hydrogen atom and a Side chain (R).
