Amino acids are the key components of a protein and there are 20 amino acids, which are naturally found in humans. Only 11 out of 20 amino acids are considered as non-essential because these are synthesized in the human body, whereas rests 9 are obtained from the dietary supplements by an individual.
All the amino acids possess a carboxy group (?COO- group) as well as an amino group, which is found, bonded to the same carbon atom (the alpha carbon). The other group or R-group of alpha-carbon of an amino acid varies in one amino acid to another in their side chains, electric charge, structure, and size.
This, in turn, influences the amino acid solubility in the water. All the commonly found amino acids have a chiral carbon atom with an exception of glycine. A carbon atom is said to be chiral when there are 4 different groups are bonded to the same carbon atom. Glycine is relatively simplest amino acids.
The amino acid glycine was named so because of its sweet taste. Glycine does not have a chiral center as the two hydrogen atoms are bonded to a central carbon atom in its structure. The side chains in glycine are very small as the R group in this amino acid does not contribute to the hydrophobic interactions of a protein and is formally non-polar.