ORIGINAL FORMULA OF AN AMINO ACID

side chain
R
0
H \
i
X
N -

C -
C
/ I
H I 0 -
H
H
amino
carboxyl
group group

I R O H R 2 R O H R
I 2 2
I

H ,
I 11 1 I
+0 H ,
I 11
' I
+0
N -

C -

C -
N -
C -
C N -

C -

C N -
C -
C
/ I I h

f
H I I 0 -

H H 1 I 0 -

H
H H H
H H o
-

H n
'
O H
'
H

3 R O R
I 2

H \
I 11 H I
F
0
I
N -

C -

C N -
C -
C
/ I
,

H I H I 0 -

H
H O H
"

Peptides and proteins both consist of several amino acids that are bound together via peptide
bonds. A peptide is a short chain of amino acids, while, Dipeptides contains 2 individual amino
acid molecules that can be from any of the 20 amino acids that are originally present whether it
was from any of the 3 hypotheses.

Here at the top is the original formula of an amino acid where the purple highlighted is the amino
group, the green being the carboxyl group and the R in pink being the side chain that is what
makes varies the amino acids into being 20 in the first place.

The catabolic process of hydrolysis is used to breakdown the dipeptide into the result of 2
individual amino acid molecules. This breakdown is done by the use of an enzyme called
protease. This enzyme catalyses, meaning increasing the rate, of breaking down the proteins into
smaller polypeptides or individual amino acids.

The hydrolysis only happens when energy is released as water (h2O) is added into the molecules
when split. This supplies hydrogen to one end and a hydroxide to the other.
As shown by the diagram here, step one is what the dipeptide originally looks like then the water
will be put in between the Carbon and nitrogen highlighted. And the process is shown in step 2
as the water enters as the the two molecules split and making two different amino acids.