EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Proteins are made up of hundreds or thousands of smaller units called amino acids, which are attached to one another in long chains. There are 20 different types of amino acids that can be combined to make a protein.

Detailed explanation-2: -How Many Amino Acids Do Help Build Proteins? Roughly 500 amino acids have been identified in nature, but just 20 amino acids make up the proteins found in the human body. Let’s learn about all these 20 amino acids and the types of different amino acids.

Detailed explanation-3: -These polymers of amino acids are capable of producing the diversity seen in life. The 20 to 22 amino acids that comprise proteins include: Alanine.

Detailed explanation-4: -The common property of all proteins is that they consist of long chains of -amino (alpha amino) acids. The general structure of -amino acids is shown in . The -amino acids are so called because the -carbon atom in the molecule carries an amino group (―NH2); the -carbon atom also carries a carboxyl group (―COOH).

Detailed explanation-5: -The 20 amino acids found in proteins. Both three-letter and one-letter abbreviations are listed. As shown, there are equal numbers of polar and nonpolar side chains.