Amino Acids
Part of the Food Chemistry and the Lab section of Coddy's Chemistry journey. Lesson 9 of 27.
Proteins are polymers of amino acids.
Each amino acid has an amino group, NH₂, and a carboxyl group, COOH, on one carbon, plus a side chain.
An amino acid: an amino group and a carboxyl group on the same carbon
There are 20 amino acids in our proteins. Proteins contain nitrogen; carbohydrates and fats do not.
Challenge
Alanine is one of the 20 amino acids in our proteins. Mark every functional group in it.
Try it yourself
Work it out on the board
Test yourselfThis lesson includes a short quiz. Start the lesson to answer it and track your progress.