DNA STRUCTURE

Nucleic acids
 Two types of nucleic acid

DNA- deoxyribonucleic acid

RNA – Ribonucleic acid
 BothDNA and RNA are compose of three groups of
molecules;
- pentose sugar ( 5 carbon sugar )
- nitrogenous base
- phosphate group
 Sugar of Nucleic Acids

 There are only two types of sugar present in nucleic acids

- Ribose which is only present in RNA

- Deoxyribose which is only present in DNA which
gives name to deoxyribonucleic acid
Structure of sugar
 Nitrogenous bases

 Two Kinds:
 PURINES: The purine bases is a double‐ring system with four nitrogen and five carbons.

 PYRIMIDINE: The pyrimidine bases has single ring with two nitrogen and four carbons
The four nitrogenous bases of DNA

 Cytosine C
 Thymine T
 Adenine A
 Guanine G
Phosphate group
Building the Nucleic acids…
 Hydrogen Bonds

N
C
 The bases attract each other

N
because of hydrogen bonds.

C


C
Hydrogen bonds are weak

C
O

N
but there are millions and
millions of them in a single

C
molecule of DNA. N
C N
 The bonds between cytosine
and guanine are shown here C C O

with dotted lines 16 C N

 When making hydrogen O
bonds, cytosine always N C
pairs up with guanine
 Adenine always pairs up O C C C
with thymine N
N C
 Adenine is bonded to C
N
thymine here C N

C
C C
N N

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