Protein Chemistry. Structure, Properties, Research Methods - Shendryk A.N. 2022

Amino Acids
Amino Acids
Nomenclature of Amino Acids

Trivial names are widely used for Proteinogenic Amino Acids. The origins of these names vary, but in most cases they are related to the discovery source or specific properties of a given amino acid.

Systematic names based on chemical nomenclature rules are extremely cumbersome and practically never used.

Since protein peptide chains typically contain A large number of amino acids, conveying this sequence even through relatively short trivial names is quite inconvenient. Therefore, three-letter Abbreviations were initially adopted, followed in 1968 by the Introduction of one-letter symbols for protein amino acids by the IUPAC Commission (Eur. J. Bioch., 1968, V.5, №2). Below we provide tables listing the trivial, abbreviated, and one-letter names of the most common proteinogenic amino acids.



Last update: 06/08/2026

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