Final answer:
Amino acids are fundamental components of proteins with unique side chains that determine their properties, and they play a critical role in maintaining the body's acid-base balance. Some amino acids, called essential amino acids, must be consumed through diet because our bodies cannot produce them.
Step-by-step explanation:
Amino acids are crucial for life, providing the building blocks for proteins, which are essential components for the structure and function of all living organisms. The presence of an amino group and a carboxylic acid group in amino acids allows them to act as buffers and regulate acid-base balance effectively.
Each amino acid has a distinct side chain, or R-group, which can vary in size, and may be polar or nonpolar, giving amino acids unique properties. Additionally, while all proteins are constructed from the same set of 20 standard amino acids, humans need to obtain certain essential amino acids through diet, as only about half can be synthesized by the human body. Moreover, all amino acids are identified by either a single upper case letter or a three-letter abbreviation, helping to simplify the language used for their representation.