Name: Princess Gracel C. Castroverde Yr.

&Sec: STEM 12-A (Leadership)

 Why are biological macromolecules considered organic?
Biological Macromolecules are built from smaller organic molecules.
They are large molecules that are necessary for life. Those large molecules
are considered organic relatively because they contain carbon.
According to chemistry, carbon is the central element of organic
chemistry as life is based on it – scientifically speaking. Any compound that
has carbon in them is considered organic. Meaning to say, carbon is found in
all organic matter, hence, it can be regarded as the main ingredient of what
makes a compound organic. However, organic molecules do not only contain
carbon. They may also contain hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and other minor
elements. In addition to carbon, hydrogen must be bonded with it or there
also needs to be a hydrogen element in that particular molecule for it to be
regarded as organic.
All in all, biological macromolecules contain a good amount of carbon
elements and might contain hydrogen, which then explains why are they
considered organic.
 What are the differences between DNA and RNA?
Deoxyribonucleic acid and ribonucleic acid both carry genetic
information, however they have few differences. DNA and RNA differ in the
following aspects: function, structural features, the composition of bases and
sugars, propagation, base pairing, reactivity, location, and ultraviolet
damage.
First, let us take a quick look at DNA. DNA is the nucleic acid used for
the synthesis of protein. It contains the two deoxyribose, phosphates, and
the sequence of nitrogenous bases adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C),
and thymine (T) – which cannot be found in an RNA. These molecules' base
pairing is AT (adenine-thymine) and GC (guanine-cytosine). Its main
function is to store genetic information and transmission this information to
make other cells and new organisms.
In terms of its structure, DNA molecules have a double-helix form from
the formation of two long strands of nucleotides linked together.
Furthermore, DNA molecules are necessary for living things to grow, develop
and reproduce. The fun fact regarding DNA is that it is self-replicating, it is
able to replicate its own. Lastly, it can be located in the nucleus of a cell and
in the mitochondria. DNA has five types, A-DNA, B-DNA, C-DNA, D-DNA, and
Z-DNA.
 Moving forward, RNA or ribonucleic acid is a polymer with a ribose and
phosphate backbone with bases adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and
uracil (U). RNA molecules are directly required for protein synthesis. Its
function is to transfer the genetic code from the nucleus to the ribosomes to
make proteins. RNA molecules’ main role is to act as messenger transmitting
instructions from DNA for protein synthesis.
Structure-wise, RNA is a single-strand helix of shorter chains of
nucleotides. Its base pairing is AU (adenine-uracil) and GC (guanine-
cytosine). RNA has one ribose and it can be found in the cytoplasm, nucleus,
and ribosome. Unlike DNA, RNA cannot and does not replicate its own, but is
synthesized with DNA when required. There are four types of RNA namely,
tRNA, mRNA, rRNA, and snRNA wherein each type is encoded by its own
type of gene.
Overall, DNA and RNA are both necessary for life and possess
similarities but are different in many ways. They do not only differ in their
function but also in where they are located, their sugar portion, predominant
structure, propagation. And nitrogenous bases and pairing.