Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Amino Acids
Amino acids are organic compounds that serve as the building blocks of proteins. Each amino acid consists of a central carbon atom, an amino group, a carboxyl group, a hydrogen atom, and a variable side chain (R group). The side chain determines the unique characteristics of each amino acid, influencing protein structure and function.
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Functional Groups
Functional groups are specific groups of atoms within molecules that are responsible for the characteristic chemical reactions of those molecules. In the context of amino acids, the amino group (-NH2) and carboxyl group (-COOH) are key functional groups, while the side chain can contain various functional groups that define the properties of the amino acid.
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Abbreviations of Amino Acids
Amino acids are often represented by three-letter and one-letter abbreviations for convenience in scientific communication. For alanine, the three-letter abbreviation is 'Ala' and the one-letter abbreviation is 'A'. These abbreviations are widely used in biochemistry and molecular biology to simplify the representation of protein sequences.
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