Nucleic acids Summary

3.8 Nucleic Acids
First review @October 17, 2023

Practise Q's Done

two types of nucleic acids, RNA and DNA

Nucleotides and nucleic acids
nucleic acids contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus

nucleic acids are polymers formed from many nucleotides bonded together

one nucleotide is made up from:

phosphate group— negatively charged

pentose monosaccharide (sugar)— five carbon atoms

nitrogenous base— complex organic molecule containing one or two carbon rings
as well as nitrogen

nucleotides bond together through condensation reactions in which polynucleotides are
formed

phosphate group at fifth carbon (5’) forms a covalent bond with the hydroxyl group
at the third carbon (3’) on the pentose sugar attached to the adjacent nucleotide

the covalent bons formed are called phosphodiester bonds

these polynucleotides form a ‘backbone’ with a base attached to each sugar

phosphodiester bonds are broken by hydrolysis reactions

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
deoxyribose, sugar with one less oxygen atom than ribose




3.8 Nucleic Acids 1