In chemistry , an amino acid is a molecule containing both amine and carboxyl functional groups . These molecules are particularly important in biochemistry , where this term refers to alpha-amino acids with the general formula H 2 NCHRCOOH, where R is an organic substituent. more

In chemistry , an amino acid is a molecule containing both amine and carboxyl functional groups . These molecules are particularly important in biochemistry , where this term refers to alpha-amino acids with the general formula H 2 NCHRCOOH, where R is an organic substituent. [ 1 ] In the alpha amino acids, the amino and carboxylate groups are attached to the same carbon , which is called the ??carbon . The various alpha amino acids differ in which side chain (R group) is attached to their alpha carbon. They can vary in size from just a hydrogen atom in glycine through a methyl group in alanine to a large heterocyclic group in tryptophan . less