Chapter 3 - Biological molecules - nucleic acids Flashcards
what are the two types of nucleic acid
RNA and DNA
what elements are in nucleic acids
Hydrogen Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen and Phosphorus
what are the monomers in nucleic acids
nucleotides
what three components make up a nucleotide
a pentose monosaccharide
a phosphate group
a nitrogenous base
what is the bond called between nucleotides and how does it form
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
what does DNA stand for
deoxyribonucleic acid
what are the two groups of DNA nucleotides and what is the difference
purines (larger - contain double ring structure Adenine and Guanine) and pyrimidines (smaller - contain single ring structures Thymine and Citosine)
how are the two strands of the double helix held together
hydrogen bonds (three between C and G and two between T and A) complimentary base pairing
how are the two strands of the double helix arranged
antiparallel
why is RNA needed
DNA is too long and large to leave the nucleus and it is the only ‘master’ copy
what are the pentose sugars in DNA and RNA
deoxyribose and ribose
what is the nucleotide difference between DNA and RNA
thymine is replaced by uracil
