Amino acids are organic compounds often described as the "building blocks" of life because they combine to form proteins, which are essential for almost all biological processes. Every amino acid shares a fundamental chemical structure consisting of a central carbon atom (the alpha carbon) bonded to a basic amino group (\(-NH_{2}\)), an acidic carboxyl group (\(-COOH\)), a hydrogen atom, and a variable side chain known as the R group. This R group is what distinguishes one amino acid from another and determines its unique chemical properties, such as its charge, size, and solubility.