Table of Contents
Why are nucleic acids a polymer?
Explanation: A polymer is a large molecule that is built up from multiple smaller building blocks in a repetitive manner. The building blocks of the nucleic acids DNA and RNA are nucleotides (see image). Both DNA and RNA are polymers.
What is an example of a polymer of nucleic acids?
In case of nucleic acids, monomers are the nucleotides composed of nitrogenous base, pentose sugar, and phosphate group whereas DNA and RNA are considered as polymer of nucleic acids.
How are nucleic acids polymers formed?
DNA and RNA polymers are constructed by forming phosphodiester bonds between nucleotides. This arrangement is called the “sugar-phosphate backbone” of DNA or RNA; the bases hang off to the side. In the cell, DNA or RNA polymers are synthesized using nucleoside triphosphate monomers as precursors.
Is nucleic acid a polymer?
A nucleic acid is a polymeric macromolecule made up of repeated units of monomeric ‘nucleotides’ composed of a nitrogenous heterocyclic base which is either a purine or a pyrimidine, a pentose (five carbon) sugar (either ribose or 2′-deoxyribose), and one to three phosphate groups.
Why are nucleic acids not polymers?
If the forming units of the given biological macromolecules are considered, proteins are formed of amino acids joined one after the other, polysaccharides are formed from monosaccharides, nucleic acids are formed of nucleotides. Only lipids are not made of uniform components, that is, they are not polymeric.
What is a nucleic acid monomer?
Nucleic acids are giant biomolecules made of monomers called nucleotides. Nucleotides have three components: pentose sugar (5-carbon sugar), phosphate group, and nitrogenous base. The nucleic acids are of two major types: natural and synthetic nucleic acids.
What molecule is made up of nucleic acid?
Nucleic acids are the biopolymers, or large biomolecules, essential to all known forms of life. The term nucleic acid is the overall name for DNA and RNA. They are composed of nucleotides, which are the monomers made of three components: a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base.
What are two major types of nucleic acids?
The two main types of nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). DNA is the genetic material found in all living organisms, ranging from single-celled bacteria to multicellular mammals.
What elements are found in nucleic acids?
The Elements of Nucleic acids function as the blueprints for life, able to hold the genetic information that will be translated into proteins. The nucleic acids are made out of five primary elements: phosphorus, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen.
What are some good examples of nucleic acids?
Fish Fish contains a number of cells that have large quantities of nucleic acids.