Nucleotides

• What is a nucleotide?

  A building block of DNA and RNA
• What are the three parts of a nucleotide?

  Five carbon sugar, base, phosphate group
• What type of sugar is found in nucleotides?

  Pentose sugar
• What is the name of the sugar in DNA nucleotides?

  Deoxyribose
• What is the name of the sugar in RNA nucleotides?

  Ribose
• How do deoxyribose and ribose differ?

  Deoxyribose has one fewer oxygen atom
• What are the four bases found in DNA?

  Adenine, thymine, guanine, cytosine
• What are the two types of base structures in nucleotides?

  Purines and pyrimidines
• Which bases are classified as purines?

  Adenine and guanine
• What base does RNA contain instead of thymine?

  Uracil
• Which bases are classified as pyrimidines?

  Thymine and cytosine
• What is the role of the hydroxyl group on carbon 3 of the pentose sugar?

  It forms a bond with another nucleotide
• What is the bond formed between two nucleotides called?

  Phosphodiester bond
• What happens during a condensation reaction between nucleotides?

  Water is released
• What is formed when two nucleotides bond?

  A dinucleotide
• How can a phosphodiester bond be broken?

  By adding water
• What is a polynucleotide?

  A polymer of nucleotides
• What are the key components of a nucleotide structure?

  • Five carbon sugar (pentose)
  • Nitrogenous base
  • Phosphate group
• Compare the structures of DNA and RNA nucleotides.

  • DNA: Deoxyribose sugar, thymine base
  • RNA: Ribose sugar, uracil base
  • Both contain adenine, guanine, cytosine
• What is the process of forming a polynucleotide?

  1. Nucleotides bond via phosphodiester bonds
  2. Water is released (condensation reaction)
  3. Continues to form long chains
• What are the differences between purines and pyrimidines?

  • Purines: Double ring structure (adenine, guanine)
  • Pyrimidines: Single ring structure (thymine, cytosine)
• 


  Nucleotide structure