Nucleic acids

Question 1

Nucleic acids

main function

Answer 1

Informational macromolecules, store hereditary info

Question 2

Three parts of a nucleotide

Answer 2

Nitrogenous base
Phosphate group
5 Carbon sugar (pentose)

Question 3

What are the five nitrogenous bases? Which are purines? Which are pyrimidines?

Answer 3

Pyrimidines: Thymine, Cytosine, Uracil
Purines: Adenine, Guanine

Question 4

What are the complementary base pairs in DNA? RNA?

Answer 4

DNA + RNA: G-C
DNA: T-A
RNA: U-A

Question 5

What reaction takes place in the synthesis of nucleic acids? What type of bond is formed?

Answer 5

Dehydration synthesis reaction forms a Phophodiester linkage bonding nucleotides together

Question 6

Describe the antiparallel nature of a double stranded DNA molecule.

Answer 6

Describes two adjacent nucleotide polymers running in opposite directions relative to one another

Question 7

What are two main differences between DNA and RNA?

Answer 7

DNA has one less oxygen on its carbon 2
DNA has the nitrogenous base thymine where RNA has Uracil
DNA has deoxyribose sugar and RNA has ribose sugar