Introduction

Nucleotides are very important biological molecules which provide the basis for genetic inheritance and for powering the billions of chemical reactions that occur in the body on a daily basis.  In this activity, we will explore the structure of nucleotides in biological systems.

The following video is an introduction to Nucleic Acids.

Summary

In this lesson, you have learned that:

• Nucleotides are the subunits or building blocks of larger Nucleic Acid molecules
• Nucleotides consist of a central 5-Carbon sugar molecule (ribose or deoxyribose), a Phosphate Functional Group, and a Nitrogen/Carbon containing base.
• For DNA, the 4 bases are:
• Adenine
• Thymine
• Cytosine
• Guanine
• For RNA, the 4 bases are:
• Adenine
• Uracil
• Cytosine
• Guanine

Sources:

“Introduction to Nucleic Acids.” Kahn Academy. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/hI4v7v8AdfI_Licensed under: Standard YouTube License