hyphenation - Amino acid vs. amino-acid



In the following two examples, is there any difference as to how amino acid should be hyphenated?



  • There are twenty amino acids.

  • The amino acid content is 80%.


My intuition would be to hyphenate in the second example (where amino acid is a modifier) and not in the first, but I couldn't back it up.


Is there a general rule that would apply?



Answer



Your intuition is correct.


According to the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry's Guide to Nomenclature and Symbolism for Amino Acids and Peptides:



When the phrase 'amino acid' is a qualified noun it contains no hyphen; a hyphen is inserted when it becomes an adjective so as to join its components in qualifying another noun, e.g. amino-acid sequence



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