Topic 3: The Chemistry of Life

3.3 DNA Structure

3.3.1 Outline the DNA nucleotide structure in terms of sugar, base and phosphate.

Genetic information is stored by nucleic acids Nucleic acids are long chain molecules and are composed of nucleotides (their building blocks)

They are made of three molecules linked together 1. nitrogenous base adenine, cytosine, thymine and guanine 2. a phosphate 3. pentose sugar (deoxyribose)
They are bound together covalently

3.3.1 Outline the DNA nucleotide structure in terms of sugar, base and phosphate

The simple version

The complex version

phosphate + sugar + nitrogenous base What kind of reaction is this?

nucleotide + 2 water

3.3.2 State the names of the four bases in DNA

The purines Adenine Guanine The pyramidines Thymine Cytosine

3.3.3 Outline how DNA nucleotides are linked together by covalent bonds into a single strand.

they can form a chain by a condensation reaction between the phosphate of one nucleotide and the sugar of another the sugar and phosphate form a covalent bond. They form the backbone of the nucleic acid

3.3.4 Explain how the DNA double helix is formed using complementary base pairing and hydrogen bonds

Complementary base pairing is how the nucleotides bond together (They complement each other) Adenine and thymine can form two hydrogen bonds Cytosine and guanine form three hydrogen bonds So A always bonds to T, and C always bonds to G

3.3.5 Draw and label a simple diagram of the molecular structure of DNA