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Specification:
• State that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a
polynucleotide, usually double stranded, made
up of nucleotides containing the bases adenine
(A), thymine (T), cytosine (C) and guanine (G);
• State that ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a
polynucleotide, usually single stranded, made up
of nucleotides containing the bases adenine (A),
uracil (U), cytosine (C) and guanine (G);
Polynucleotides
• Nucelic acids come in two forms: DNA and
RNA
• They hold all the information to make
proteins which is what all living things are
made up of
• Almost all of the DNA in a eukaryotic cell is
found in the nucleus
• RNA is found in 3 different forms
Monomers
• The monomer of all
nucleic acids (DNA and
RNA) is called a
nucleotide
• Each single nucleotide is
made up of; one
phosphate group, one
sugar molecule, one
organic nitrogenous base
• All three sub-units are
joined by covalent bonds
Nucleotides
• There are five different
nucleotides called A, T, C,
G and U
• The phosphate group in
all nucleotides is the
same
• The sugar molecule is a 5
carbon sugar; either
deoxyribose in DNA or
Ribose in RNA
• The 5 possible bases are
adenine; A, Thymine; T,
Guanine; G, Cytosine; C,
and Uracil; U
Joining nucleotides together
• A condensation reaction occurs between the
phosphate group of one nucleotide and the
sugar of another nucleotide
• Repeating the bonding gives a long chain of
nucleotides
• This forms the ‘backbone’ of the molecule
Nucleotides to Nucleic Acids
• Chains of nucleic acids bond together to
make nucleic acids
• Only nucleic acids carrying the same
sugar (ribose or deoxyribose) can be
binded together
• This makes nucleic acids either RNA or
DNA
Too Much Nucleic Acid
• Uric acid is produced when excess purines
(Adenine and Guanine) are broken down
in the liver
• It is excreted in urine
• Some people have too much uric acid in
the blood which is turned into crystals that
are deposited at the joints making them
swollen (this is called gout)
Task
• Using Cambridge Biology
p124- 126, outline the
structure of DNA- you
must include the key
words in bold in the
paragraphs