Amide

Amides are chemical compounds that are formally derived from ammonia (NH3). In the amide structure, a hydrogen atom of ammonia is replaced by an acid residue.

Examples of amide compounds:

• Carboxylic acid amide: the hydrogen atom of ammonia is replaced by a carboxylic acid residue (see figure)
• Peptides and proteins contain peptide bonds. Peptide bonds are also amide bonds. Peptides and proteins are also carboxylic acid amides.
• Sulphonic acid amides are found as derivatives of sulphonic acids in some drugs, such as the sulphonamides (see figure)
• Phosphoric acid amides are found as derivatives of phosphoric acids in some drugs, e.g. in cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide.