Raíne Mantovani Gomes

1 IntroductionAmino acids are organic compounds containing both amino (—NH2) and carboxyl (—COOH) groups. Due to the presence of asymmetric carbon, all amino acids except glycine exhibit optical activity and exist as D- and L-isoforms or enantiomers (Lehninger et al., 2005). The asymmetric α-carbon imparts chirality, a phenomenon where the molecule is not superimposable to its mi ...