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AAT Bioquest

What are the examples of acidic amino acids?

Posted October 2, 2024


Answer

The two main acidic amino acids are aspartic acid (aspartate) and glutamic acid (glutamate). These two amino acids have low pKa values, which allow them to easily lose a proton and become negatively charged at neutral pH. pKa measures the acidity of a compound, with lower values indicating higher acidity and a greater tendency to release protons.

Additional resources

Biochemistry, Essential Amino Acids

Amino Acid Reference Chart