Home > Serine (Molecule of the Month for November 1996 )
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Proteins are large biomolecules that occur in every living organism. All proteins are chemically similar since all are made up of many amino acid units linked together in a long chain. Amino acids are the building blocks from which all proteins are made. as their name implies, amino acids are difunctional; they contain both a basic amino group and an acidic carboxyl group.
The there are 20 amino acid commonly found in proteins.
All 20 are alpha- amino acids; that is, the amino group in each is a substituent on the carbon atom alpha to, or next to, the carbonyl group.
Formal Chemical Name (IUPAC)
Update by Karl Harrison
(Molecule of the Month for
November 1996
)