Amino acid: Amino acid, any of a group of organic molecules that consist of a basic amino group, an acidic carboxyl group, and a unique organic side chain.

What are the factors that affect the racemization rate of chiral amino acids? Changing L-amino acids to a 50 50 mix of D and L amino acid enantiomers (stereoisomers).

M.J. Betts, R.B. Russell. Amino acid properties and consequences of subsitutions. In Bioinformatics for Geneticists, M.R. Barnes, I.C. Gray eds, Wiley, 2003.

Amino acids are organic compounds containing amine (-NH 2) and carboxyl (-COOH) functional groups, along with a side chain (R group) specific to each amino acid. The key elements of an amino acid are carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), and nitrogen (N), although other elements are found in the side chains of certain amino acids.

Amino acid synthesis is the set of biochemical processes (metabolic pathways) by which the various amino acids are produced from other compounds.The substrates for these processes are various compounds in the organism’s diet or growth media.

The amino acid metabolism page details the synthesis and breakdown of essential and non-essential amino acids.

Detailed article breaking down the 20 amino acids including their full name, 3-letter name and single letter abbreviation, variable group characteristics including polar/non-polar hydrophobic and hydrophilic as required for the MCAT

Amino Acid supplement information, side effects and safety, essential and nonessential November 25 2016 by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Amino acid definition and structure

The key chemical characteristic of amino acids is that they link together to form proteins. Because the COOH functional group is an acid and the NH 2 functional group is a base, the two ends of amino acids can readily react with each other.

Amino Acid deficiency can lead to depression, muscle wasting, poor digestion and other disorders