Draw the general structure of an amino acid - AQA - A-Level Biology - Question 5 - 2018 - Paper 1

The general structure of an amino acid consists of a central carbon atom (C) bonded to:

• An amino group ($-NH_2$)
• A carboxyl group ($-COOH$)
• A hydrogen atom ($-H$)
• A variable R group (side chain), which differs between different amino acids.

This can be represented structurally as:

   H   O
   |   ||
H2N—C—C—OH
   |   
   R