Amino Acid Properties

The text Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th Edition describes the chemical properties of amino acids. Figure 2-23 shows the structure of the amino acid Alanine, and panel 3-1 shows the various families of amino acids, including those with side chains that are:

• basic
• acidic
• non-polar
• uncharged polar

(NCBI also provides an Amino Acid Explorer, which allows you to compare the properties of the various amino acids. The tool was developed by Eric Sayers, Ph.D., of NCBI User Services, and is used in conjunction with the NCBI workshop, Exploring 3D Molecular Structures Using NCBI Tools.)