How do you memorize the amino acids?
Sort the 20 amino acids into five groups by side chain first: nonpolar, aromatic, polar uncharged, acidic and basic. Then learn the name, three-letter code and one-letter code inside each group. Add a mnemonic only for the hard parts, such as the essential amino acids, and quiz yourself on group and charge, not just names, because that is what biochemistry exams and the MCAT test.
In more detail
Learn the groups before the names. Nonpolar: glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, methionine and proline. Aromatic: phenylalanine, tryptophan and tyrosine. Polar uncharged: serine, threonine, cysteine, asparagine and glutamine. Acidic: aspartate and glutamate. Basic: lysine, arginine and histidine. That is 7 + 3 + 5 + 2 + 3 = 20. Books draw the lines a little differently (tyrosine is often listed as polar, and glycine and proline as special cases), so follow the grouping your course uses.
Then learn the codes. Eleven of the 20 one-letter codes are simply the first letter: A, C, G, H, I, L, M, P, S, T and V. The other nine you learn by hand: R arginine, N asparagine, D aspartate, Q glutamine, E glutamate, K lysine, F phenylalanine, W tryptophan and Y tyrosine. Small hooks help: a-R-ginine, Q-tamine, F sounds like Fenylalanine, and tryptophan has tWo rings.
Use a mnemonic only where grouping stops helping. The classic case is the essential amino acids: PVT TIM HALL stands for phenylalanine, valine, threonine, tryptophan, isoleucine, methionine, histidine, arginine, leucine and lysine. Arginine is only conditionally essential, so some lists have nine and not ten. Then add charge at pH 7.4: aspartate and glutamate are negative, lysine and arginine are positive, and histidine sits near neutral.
The 20 amino acids in five groups
| Group | Amino acids | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Nonpolar | Glycine, alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, methionine, proline | 7 |
| Aromatic | Phenylalanine, tryptophan, tyrosine | 3 |
| Polar uncharged | Serine, threonine, cysteine, asparagine, glutamine | 5 |
| Acidic (negative) | Aspartate, glutamate | 2 |
| Basic (positive) | Lysine, arginine, histidine | 3 |
Step by step
- 1
Sort the 20 into the five groups and say each group's members out loud, using the table.
- 2
Learn the three-letter code for each name, which is almost always its first three letters.
- 3
Learn the 11 one-letter codes that are first letters, then the 9 that are not, with a small hook for each.
- 4
Add the charge: acidic is negative, basic is positive, histidine sits near neutral, and the rest are uncharged at pH 7.4.
- 5
Use PVT TIM HALL for the essential ones, and check whether your course counts arginine.
- 6
Quiz yourself with flashcards that show the structure on the front and the name, codes and group on the back, spaced over several days.
How StudyPDF helps
Upload your biochemistry slides or notes and StudyPDF builds flashcards and quizzes from them. If your slides show structures, StudyPDF can build a diagram deck that hides the labels so you recall each one. Every answer updates your mastery per concept, so the next quiz goes after the amino acids you still mix up. The free plan covers about 4 materials a week, no card needed.
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More questions
How many amino acids do I need to memorize?
20, the standard amino acids that make up proteins. For most exams you need each one's group, its charge at pH 7.4 and its three-letter and one-letter codes. Whether you must also draw structures depends on your course, so check your syllabus.
What is the fastest way to memorize them?
Groups first, then codes, then a short quiz every day on the ones you mix up. A few days of short, spaced sessions beats one long evening. Most people confuse look-alikes such as asparagine and aspartate, glutamine and glutamate, and leucine and isoleucine, so give those pairs their own cards.
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