Amides are formed between carboxylic acids and amines. An amide parallels an ester where the alcohol is replaced with an amine. The nitrogen of an amide can have 0, 1, or 2 alkyl groups attached.

Naming: Amides are named with the names of the alkyl groups attached to the nitrogen followed by the name of the acid stem, followed by the word amide (pronounced "uh" "mid").

In a high school course, the principal mention of amides will be in relation to the backbone polymer chain in proteins. In this case, the bonds are called peptide bonds. A peptide bond is the same as an amide except that both parts of the amide molecule are amino acids.