alpha amino acid

In the alpha amino acids, the α-carbon is a chiral carbon atom, with the exception of glycine.

The term "amino acid," used without a qualifier, refers to the alpha amino acids, which GABA is not.

The Strecker synthesis of amino acids involves the reaction of potassium cyanide, ammonium chloride, and an aldehyde to make an alpha amino acid.

The carbon atom next to the carboxyl group is called the α-carbon and amino acids with a side-chain bonded to this carbon are referred to as alpha amino acids.

Although chemically it is an amino acid, GABA is rarely referred to as such in the scientific or medical communities, because the term "amino acid," used without a qualifier, conventionally refers to the alpha amino acids, which GABA is not, nor is it ever incorporated into a protein.