Nucleic Acids by

General Formula

paisleyparke — 2015-09-10 20:48:41 UTC

They are mainly formed by three structural units: phosphate group, sugar molecule and nitrogenous bases.

Primary Roles

paisleyparke — 2015-09-10 20:59:26 UTC

The nucleic acids include the DNA and the RNA. They are the hereditary determinants of living organisms. They are present in most living cells either in free state or bound to proteins as nucleoproteins.

Polymers

paisleyparke — 2015-09-10 21:06:15 UTC

Each component of nucleic acid structure plays an important role in DNA and RNA’s ability to store and transmit information during a cell’s life and to deliver a copy into offspring. Nucleic acids are polymers of individual nucleotide monomers. Each nucleotide is composed of three parts: a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.

Examples of Nucleic Acids

paisleyparke — 2015-09-10 21:06:48 UTC

There are five chief types of components in nucleic acids: cytosine, guanine, thymine, uracil, and adenine. Whether the acid contains uracil or thymine determines whether it is DNA (thymine) or RNA (uracil).

Monomers

paisleyparke — 2015-09-10 21:08:55 UTC

All nucleic acids are made up of the same building blocks (monomers). Chemists call the monomers "nucleotides." The five pieces are uracil, cytosine, thymine, adenine, and guanine. These nucleotides are made of three parts:

1. A five-carbon sugar
2. A base that has nitrogen (N) atoms
3. An ion of phosphoric acid known as phosphate