Tyrosine is an aromatic amino acid. It is effectively hydroxy-phenylalanine.
Like all amino acids, it has an amino group (-NH
2)
- blue with 2 white balls - at one end, and a carboxylic acid group
(-COOH) - grey, connected to red, and red and white - at the other end.
Between these is the
α- (alpha) carbon
to which the 'R' group (and a single -H atom) is
attached.
In tyrosine, the 'R' group is rather bulky: a methyl group attached to a benzene ring carrying an
-OH group.
Other information
Tyrosine is involved in the production of the pigment
melanin, which colours skin and hair.