Why do you think biochemists tend to use one- and three-letter abbreviations instead of the condensed structural formulas to represent peptides and proteins

answer:

Most proteins have hundreds of amino acids. Aside from the peptide backbone, each amino acid has a side chain, causing the condensed chemical structure to be large and complicated. A series of abbreviations also allows for easier comparison of multiple sequences

Explanation:

Abbreviations, acronyms and symbolic representations are very much part of the language of peptide science – in conversational communication as much as in its literature. They are not only a convenience, either – they enable the necessary but distracting complexities of long chemical names and technical terms to be pushed into the background so the wood can be seen among the trees. Many of the abbreviations in use are so much in currency that they need no explanation. The main purpose of this editorial is to identify them and free authors from the hitherto tiresome requirement to define them in every paper. Those in the tables that follow – which will be updated from time to time – may in future be used in this Journal without explanation.

All other abbreviations should be defined. Previously published usage should be followed unless it is manifestly clumsy or inappropriate. Where it is necessary to devise new abbreviations and symbols, the general principles behind established examples should be followed.