Nucleic acids Flashcards
What are nucleic acids?
Large polymers formed from many nucleotides (the monomers)
What three components make up a nucleotide?
- Pentose sugar
- Phosphate group
- Nitrogenous base
What type of reaction of reaction joins nucleotides?
Condensation reactions
What is the name of the bond that forms between nucleotides?
Phosphodiester bonds
Where do phosphodiester bonds form between nucelotides?
The phosphodiester bond forms between the OH group of the third carbon of the pentose sugar and the phosphate group of the fifth carbon of the pentose sugar on an adjacent nucleotide
Where is the fifth carbon found in pentose sugars?
Not in the ring. The top of the ring is an oxygen, the fifth carbon comes off the fourth.
What type of reaction breaks phosphodiester bonds?
Hydrolysis
What are the four different bases?
Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, Cytosine
What are the different groups that the bases can be divided into?
Pyrimidines and Purines
Which bases are pyrimidines?
T and C
Which bases are purines?
A and G
Which bases have a single carbon ring structure?
Pyrimidines (T and C)
Which bases have a double carbon ring structure?
Purines (A and G)
Which are bigger bases, purines or pyrimidines?
Purines
What is the structure of DNA?
Double helix
