* Nonpolar (hydrophobic):
* Glycine (Gly, G)
* Alanine (Ala, A)
* Proline (Pro, P)
* Valine (Val, V)
* Leucine (Leu, L)
* Isoleucine (Ile, I)
* Methionine (Met, M)
* Phenylalanine (Phe, F)
* Tryptophan (Trp, W)
* Polar (hydrophilic):
* Serine (Ser, S)
* Threonine (Thr, T)
* Cysteine (Cys, C)
* Tyrosine (Tyr, Y)
* Asparagine (Asn, N)
* Glutamine (Gln, Q)
* Acidic (negatively charged):
* Aspartic acid (Asp, D)
* Glutamic acid (Glu, E)
* Basic (positively charged):
* Lysine (Lys, K)
* Arginine (Arg, R)
* Histidine (His, H)
These 20 amino acids are encoded by the genetic code and are used to build the proteins that carry out essential functions in all living organisms.