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The first carbon is the part of the carboxyl group.
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R can be as simple as a hydrogen atom (H) or a methyl group (- CH3) or a more complex structure. R stands for the side chains that are different for each amino acid. The amino acids are, therefore, regarded as ‘building blocks of proteins. Keep reading to get the comprehensive list of the structure and properties of 20 standard amino acids.Įach amino acid is a nitrogenous compound having both an acidic carboxyl (- COOH) and a basic amino (- NH2) group. These are the polymers, i.e., chain-like molecules produced by joining a number of small units of amino acids called monomers. Twenty Amino acids can be grouped according to the characteristics of the side chains as follows:Īll proteins are macromolecules because of their very high molecular weights.
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