Structure of DNA and RNA (3.1.5.1)

Question 1

what are DNA and RNA polymers of?

Answer 1

nucleotides

Question 2

what are the nucleotides in DNA and RNA formed from?

Answer 2

a phosphate group, a pentose and nitrogen-containing base

Question 3

what are the specific components of a DNA nucleotide?

Answer 3

a phosphate group, deoxyribose and one of the organic bases (adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine)

Question 4

what does a condensation reaction between two nucleotides form?

Answer 4

a phosphodiester bond

Question 5

what does the condensation of many nucleotides form?

Answer 5

a polynucleotide

Question 6

what is the structure of a DNA molecule?

Answer 6

a double helix with two polynucleotide chains held together by hydrogen bonds between specific complementary base pairs

Question 7

what does antiparallel mean?

Answer 7

the two DNA strands in a double helix run in opposite directions (essential for DNA replication)

Question 8

why didn’t scientists believe that DNA carried the genetic code?

Answer 8

because of its relative simplicity compared to other molecules like proteins