Question

Which of the following is CORRECT about amino acid?

• A. It is a compound containing amino $\left(-{\left(NH\right)}_2\right)$ and acidic group $\left(-COOH\right)$
• B. It is a substituted methane.
• C. Based on nature of 'R' group they are of many types
• D. All of these

Answer 1

Answer: (D)

Amino acids are monomers of proteins. As the name suggests amino acids consist of amino and acidic groups. As the two functional groups are of opposite nature, amino acids are said to perform many reactions and thus are part of a number of processes. The structure of amino acid is similar to methane with four different groups instead of hydrogen. Hence amino acids are substituted methanes. One bond out of four has R which means it is the variable group. Due to presence of variable groups different types of Amino acids are possible. Example: if R is H, the amino acid is Glycine.