Question

complete the table to compare these structures.
amino acid nucleotide
is a building block of proteins
contains carbon
has a carboxyl group

Explanation:

• Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Proteins are made by linking amino acids together through peptide bonds.
• Both amino acids and nucleotides are organic molecules, so they both contain carbon. Organic chemistry is based on carbon - containing compounds.
• Amino acids have a carboxyl group (\(-COOH\)). The general formula of an amino acid is \(R - CH(NH_2)-COOH\). Nucleotides do not have a carboxyl group. They have a phosphate group, a pentose sugar, and a nitrogen - containing base.

Answer:

	Amino acid	Nucleotide
Contains carbon	Yes	Yes
Has a carboxyl group	Yes	No