Biot Ch 1 — Nucleic acids

Content 1. Concept map

2. Nature of Science
3. Chemical structure of a nucleotide
4. DNA v.s. RNA
5.Complementary nature of bases
6. Two-dimensional representation DNA
7. Mistake taken

Concept map

a phosphate group + a pentose sugar + an organic nitrogenous base

Nucleotides

DNA / RNA

Nature of Science

1. Science is an ongoing inquires

2. Scientists’ social status would affect their work
3. Scientists build their theories over others
4. Scientists need luck, cleverness and creativity
5. Scientific research is collaborative. Scientists do compete with each other.
6. Scientific work is affected by technology and equipment available at that time
7. The same data analyzed by different scientists always lead to the different conclusion
8. One field of science can affect other field(s) of science

1
Chemical structure of a nucleotide

each nucleotide made up of 3 components

(phosphate group, pentose sugar, organic nitrogenous base)
1) Phosphate group
- has phosphorus, oxygen
- have negative charges
(∴ overall charge of DNA / RNA molecule is negative -> both DNA and RNA will migrate
towards the positive electrode in an electric field )
- form part of the backbone of DNA
- DON’T carry any genetic info

2) Pentose sugar
- has carbon, hydrogen, oxygen
- organic (∵carbon atom exists)
- differences between DNA & RNA
*Deoxyribose (in DNA) : without an oxygen atom at position 2’
*Ribose (in RNA) : with an oxygen atom at position 2’

3) Organic nitrogenous base (A,T,C,G in DNA) (A,U,C,G in RNA)

- made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen(adenine)
- organic (∵carbon atom exists)
- adenine & guanine = two rings = larger in size
- thymine & cytosine = one ring

2
DNA(Deoxyribonucleic acid) v.s. RNA(Ribonucleic acid)

Complementary nature of bases

- T & A, C & G are complementary base pairs

- T & A forms 2 attraction forces (weaker)
- C & G forms 3 attraction forces (stronger)
- e.g. DNA strand 1 sequence is ATGATTGAC
The complementary sequence of DNA strand 1 is DNA strand 2 which is TACTAACTG

Two-dimensional representation of double-stranded DNA with four

nucleotides

3
Mistake taken

*Genetic information is stored and read in sequence of bases on DNA / RNA instead of
storing in individual bases.

*Both adenine and guanine are made up of two ringed structures while cytosine and thymine
are made up of one ringed structure. Both adenine and guanine are of greater size than that
of cytosine and thymine.

*Both DNA and RNA are negatively charged and hence they would be attracted and
migrated to the positive electrode in an electric field. Negative charges can be found
precisely on phosphate groups making up DNA nucleotides and RNA nucleotides.