Briefly explain the chemical structure of amino acids

Question

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Answer 1

All amino acids have the same basic structure—a central carbon (C) atom with a hydrogen atom (H), an amino group (NH2), and an acid group (COOH) attached to it. Remember, however, that carbon atoms must have four bonds, so a fourth attachment is necessary. This fourth site distinguishes each amino acid from the others. Attached to the central carbon at the fourth bond is a distinct atom, or group of atoms, known as the side group or side chain.
The side groups on the central carbon vary from one amino acid to the next, making proteins more complex than either carbohydrates or lipids. A polysaccharide (starch, for example) may be several thousand units long, but each unit is a glucose molecule just like all the others. A protein, on the other hand, is made up of about 20 different amino acids, each with a different side group.
The simplest amino acid, glycine, has a hydrogen atom as its side group. A slightly more complex amino acid, alanine, has an extra carbon with three hydrogen atoms. Other amino acids have more complex side groups. Thus, although all amino acids share a common structure, they differ in size, shape, electrical charge, and other characteristics because of differences in these side groups.