Is an amino acid a monomer or polymer?

Understand the Problem

The question is asking whether an amino acid can be classified as a monomer or a polymer. Amino acids are indeed the building blocks of proteins, which are polymers made up of long chains of amino acids. Therefore, amino acids are considered monomers.

More Information

Amino acids are small molecules that serve as the building blocks of proteins. They link together through peptide bonds to form larger chains called polypeptides, which then fold into functional proteins.

Tips

A common mistake is to confuse amino acids with peptides or proteins. Amino acids are the single unit (monomers), while peptides and proteins are chains of amino acids (polymers).

Sources

• If the monomer is amino acid, what is the polymer? - Socratic - socratic.org
• Is amino acid a monomer or polymer? - Quora - quora.com
• Chapter 3. Amino Acids & Proteins - rwu.pressbooks.pub