Monomers made of a sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base that link to form nucleic acids.
Each nucleotide has a pentose sugar, a phosphate and a nitrogenous base. Linked by phosphodiester bonds between the 3 prime carbon of one sugar and the 5 prime phosphate of the next, they form chains.
Free nucleotides also act as signals and energy carriers: ATP, GTP, cAMP, NAD and FAD.
Monomers made of a sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base that link to form nucleic acids.
Nucleotides is one of the 51 topics in Biomolecules & Biochemistry. It is rated Beginner, so it suits learners who are starting out in biology. Related topics in this area include Nucleic Acids, ATP Structure and Function, Amino Acids.
ATP is simply an adenine nucleotide with three phosphates.
Nucleotides is a Beginner topic, so no earlier topic is required. Other Beginner topics in Biomolecules & Biochemistry that pair well with it include Water Properties, Carbon Chemistry, Carbohydrates.
The closest topics to Nucleotides are Nucleic Acids, ATP Structure and Function, Amino Acids, Triglycerides. Comparing them side by side is a good way to see how the ideas connect.
Read the summary and the in-depth section, then use the quick check on the interactive lesson for Nucleotides. To practise the whole of Biomolecules & Biochemistry, use the Biomolecules & Biochemistry quiz.
Nucleotides: Monomers made of a sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base that link to form nucleic acids. Nucleic Acids: DNA and RNA, polymers of nucleotides that store and transmit genetic information. Read both side by side and note what each one explains.
First, read the summary and write the definition in your own words. Second, read the in-depth section and note any example. Third, compare it with Nucleic Acids and explain the difference aloud. Finally, take the Biomolecules & Biochemistry quiz and come back to this page for any question you miss.
DNA and RNA, polymers of nucleotides that store and transmit genetic information.
⚗️ Biomolecules & BiochemistryAdenosine triphosphate stores energy in its phosphate bonds and acts as the universal energy currency of cells.
⚗️ Biomolecules & BiochemistryTwenty building blocks, each with an amino group, a carboxyl group and a variable side chain.
⚗️ Biomolecules & BiochemistryFats formed from glycerol joined to three fatty acids, the main long-term energy store in animals.
⚗️ Biomolecules & Biochemistry