Amino acids like the name suggest something which has both amino group and acid group. Amino acid is a class of biomolecules having an amino group and a carboxyl group present in one molecule. Different molecules of amino acids join together to form proteins in the body. Each amino acid has a specific side chain. 200+ amino acids are known to exist but only 22 standard amino acids are present. Amino acid derivatives are compounds that have been derived from amino acids. They are of great importance in the biological, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries.
Amino Acids
Amino acids are a group of biomolecules having an amino group and a carboxylic group. Each amino acid has a unique side chain. A single molecule of amino acid has a central carbon atom to which the amino group, carboxylic group, and the side chain attach. Different amino acids combine to form proteins which are of great importance in every organism. Glycine is the simplest and the only achiral amino acid. Though there are more than 200 amino acids only 22 out of these are standard amino acids. Example- glycine, valine, alanine, etc.
Amino acid’s physical properties
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Amino acids are mostly present in a crystalline state and are colourless
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Amino acids in general are tasteless but some exceptions do exist like glycine is sweet in taste.
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They have a high melting point.
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Amino acids are soluble in water or organic solvent depending on their polarity, pH of the solvent, and temperature.
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All amino acids except glycine are optically active.
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Amino acids in their zwitterion state can act as both an acid and a base.
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Aromas are known to show an absorption spectrum due to the presence of aromatic rings and pi-electrons.
Amino acid’s chemical properties
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Amino acids can form a zwitterion due to the presence of an amino group and a carboxylic group.
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Alpha-amino acids react with ninhydrin to form a violet colour solution.
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The amino group of an amino acid group reacts with nitrous acid to form nitrogen and the corresponding hydroxyl group.
Amino acid derivatives
As the name suggests anything that has been derived from amino acids. Elaborate amino acid derivatives are compounds that have been derived or formed from amino acids either by replacing or reacting with any of the groups like the amino group, carboxylic group, the side group, the functional group, or even the hydrogen atom attached to the central carbon atom. Overall any sort of replacement or reaction with the amino acid which forms a new compound is known as the amino acid derivatives.
Examples are
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Glutathione(GSH)
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Betaine
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Alpha-ketoglutarate
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Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and many more.
Most of the compounds in our body are derived from amino acids like proteins, hormones, chemical reagents, enzymes, etc.
Importance of amino acid derivatives
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Amino acid derivatives have wide usage in pharmaceutical companies for manufacturing drugs.
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Amino acid derivatives like proteins are very important for an organism as they are the building block of life.
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Hormones also play an important role in cell signaling and regulation of the body’s function.
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Amino acid derivatives also play an important role in the metabolism of the body; they are often the intermediates of various metabolic cycles.
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Amino acid derivatives like enzymes are a part of almost all the chemical reactions that occur inside the body.
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Amino acid derivatives are also useful in forming medicines for various different diseases.
Conclusion
Amino acids like the name suggest something which has both amino group and acid group. Amino acid is a class of biomolecules having an amino group that is positively charged and a carboxylic group that is negatively charged present in one molecule. Each amino acid has a specific side-chain known as the R group. 200+ amino acids are known to exist but only 22 standard amino acids are present. Glycine is the simplest and the only achiral amino acid. Standard amino acids are further divided into groups on the basis of polar side group, non-polar side group, charged side group, uncharged side group, nature of the side group, etc. each standard amino acid has a unique side chain though few properties can match but the structurally the side chains are different. Amino acid derivatives are the compounds that have been derived from amino acids like hormones, enzymes, etc which are of great importance in biological, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries.