Chapter 3 - Biological molecules - nucleic acids

Question 1

what are the two types of nucleic acid

Answer 1

RNA and DNA

Question 2

what elements are in nucleic acids

Answer 2

Hydrogen Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen and Phosphorus

Question 3

what are the monomers in nucleic acids

Answer 3

nucleotides

Question 4

what three components make up a nucleotide

Answer 4

a pentose monosaccharide
a phosphate group
a nitrogenous base

Question 5

what is the bond called between nucleotides and how does it form

Answer 5

phosphodiester bonds
the phosphate group at the fifth carbon on the pentose sugar forms a bond with the hydroxyl group on the third carbon on the pentose sugar

Question 6

what does DNA stand for

Answer 6

deoxyribonucleic acid

Question 7

what are the two groups of DNA nucleotides and what is the difference

Answer 7

purines (larger - contain double ring structure Adenine and Guanine) and pyrimidines (smaller - contain single ring structures Thymine and Citosine)

Question 8

how are the two strands of the double helix held together

Answer 8

hydrogen bonds (three between C and G and two between T and A) complimentary base pairing

Question 9

how are the two strands of the double helix arranged

Answer 9

antiparallel

Question 10

why is RNA needed

Answer 10

DNA is too long and large to leave the nucleus and it is the only ‘master’ copy

Question 11

what are the pentose sugars in DNA and RNA

Answer 11

deoxyribose and ribose

Question 12

what is the nucleotide difference between DNA and RNA

Answer 12

thymine is replaced by uracil