A polymer is a large molecule that forms when smaller molecules known as monomers bond covalently in a repeating pattern. There are many biological polymers such as nucleic acids, proteins, and starches.What are the monomer units that make up proteins?

Proteins are among the most abundant organic molecules in living systems. Proteins as organic polymers are made up of simple subunits (monomers) called AMINO ACIDS.

A monomer is a small molecular subunit that can be combined with similar subunits to form larger molecules (polymers). Amino acids are the monomers that make up proteins. A protein is made up of one or more linear chains of amino acid, each of which is called a polypeptide.

Each amino acid has the same basic structure, which consists of a central carbon atom, also known as the alpha (α) carbon, bonded to an amino group (NH2), a carboxyl group (COOH), and to a hydrogen atom. Every amino acid also has another atom or group of atoms bonded to the central atom known as the R group.

The carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amino group of the another amino acid combine to form a covalent bond, releasing a molecule of water in the process (dehydration). The resulting bond is called PEPTIDE bond. The products formed by these linkages are called peptides. As more amino acids join to this growing chain, the resulting chain is known as a polypeptide.