nucleicAcidsAndProteins

Nucleotide

A monomer unit of nucleic acids consisting of a five-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.

Polymers

Large molecules made up of repeating monomer units.

R group

A side chain in amino acids that determines the properties of the amino acid.

5' end

The end of a nucleotide or nucleic acid chain that has a phosphate group attached to the 5th carbon of the sugar.

3' end

The end of a nucleotide or nucleic acid chain that has a hydroxyl group attached to the 3rd carbon of the sugar.

Base pair

A pair of nitrogenous bases that are bonded together in a nucleic acid, e.g., adenine pairs with thymine in DNA.

Deoxyribose

A five-carbon sugar that is a component of DNA.

Ribose

A five-carbon sugar that is a component of RNA.

Peptide bond

A covalent bond formed between the amino group of one amino acid and the carboxyl group of another.

Amino acid

The monomer units of proteins characterized by a central carbon atom, an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a side chain (R group).

Hydrophilic

Substances that are soluble in water.

Hydrophobic

Substances that are not soluble in water.

Adenine

A nitrogenous base found in both DNA and RNA that pairs with thymine in DNA and uracil in RNA.

Thymine

A nitrogenous base found in DNA that pairs with adenine.

Guanine

A nitrogenous base found in both DNA and RNA that pairs with cytosine.

Cytosine

A nitrogenous base found in both DNA and RNA that pairs with guanine.

Uracil

A nitrogenous base found in RNA that replaces thymine in RNA.

Chromosome

A long DNA molecule that contains genetic information.