A.1.2.2-2.3 Nucleotides

Front

What are the three parts of a nucleotide?

Back

A sugar (pentose sugar), a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.

Front

What type of sugar is found in nucleotides?

Back

A pentose sugar, which has five carbon atoms.

Front

What is the charge of the phosphate group in nucleic acids?

Back

The phosphate group is acidic and negatively charged.

Front

How are the base and phosphate linked to the pentose sugar in a nucleotide?

Back

They are linked by covalent bonds.

Front

How are the carbon atoms in the pentose sugar numbered?

Back

The base is linked to C1 and the phosphate to C5.

Front

What does Figure 5 represent in symbolic form?

Back

A nucleotide, with a circle for the phosphate, a pentagon for the pentose sugar, and a rectangle for the base.

Front

How are nucleotides linked together into a chain or polymer?

Back

By forming covalent bonds between the phosphate of one nucleotide and the pentose sugar of the next nucleotide.

Front

How are nucleotides added during the production of nucleic acids?

Back

The phosphate of the nucleotide being added is linked by a covalent bond to the pentose sugar of the previous nucleotide.

Front

What structure is formed by linking nucleotides together?

Back

A series of alternating sugar and phosphate groups, forming a strong sugar-phosphate backbone in DNA and RNA.

Front

What is the role of the nitrogenous base in a nucleotide?

Back

The nitrogenous base is responsible for the encoding of genetic information through base pairing.