Barrons SAT Subject Test Chemistry, 13th Edition

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Esters can be compared to inorganic salts.

Amino acids are organic acids that contain one or more amino groups. The
simplest uncombined amino acid is glycine, or amino acetic acid, NH 2 CH 2 —

COOH. More than 20 amino acids are known, about half of which are essential in
the human diet because they are needed to make up the body proteins.

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Note the functional group

Esters

Esters are often compared to inorganic salts because their preparations are
similar. To make a salt, you react the appropriate acid and base. To make an ester,
you react the appropriate organic acid and alcohol. For example:

The name is made up of the alkyl substituent of the alcohol and the acid
name, in which -ic is replaced with -ate.
The general equation is:

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Note the functional group