Amino acid application and technology...continued

Page 2 of 'An introduction and brief expanation of amino acids'

The general formula for natural amino acids is:

general formula for natural amino acids

All amino acids except glycine are optically active since the alpha - C - atom is asymmetrical.

In proteins the amino acids are linked together by peptide bonds, with the exclusion of one molecule of water per bond.

The following diagram illustrates the peptide bonds:

illustration of peptide bonds