Question

This question need to be answered with as much detail as posssible....

1. List the monomer subunits and polymers of the two naturally-occurring nucleic acids. What are the components of the monomer subunits, how are these monomer subunits able to link together to form polymers, and what is the name of the covalent bond that links them together? How does this covalent bond differ from the non-covalent forces that hold the polynucleotide chains together? What are the five atoms that can be found in both of these naturally-occurring nucleic acids?

Answer 1

The two naturally occuring nucliec acids are deoxyribonucliec acid (DNA) and Ribonucliec acid (RNA).

Each of the two nucliec acids are polynucleotides (polymer of nucleotides) which means they are composed of monomeric units called as nucleotides. therefore there are two types of nucleotides. The nucleotides in DNA are called deoxyribonucleotides and the nucleotides in RNA are called as Ribonucleotides.

Each nucleotide is composed of three components:

1. Sugar molecule {Ribose in case of RNA (C5H10O5) and deoxyribose in DNA (C5H10O4).

2. A nitrogenous base. Nitrogenous bases are of 2 types- Purines and Pyrimidines

Purines are double ring compounds- Adenine (A) and Guanine (G)

Pyrimidines are single ring compounds- Cytosine (C), Thymine (T) and Uracil (U).

In DNA nucleotides only 4 bases could be present ( 1 base per nucleotide) - A, G, C and T

In RNA nucleotides only 4 bases could be present ( 1 base per nucleotide) - A, G, C and U

3. Phosphate group (H3PO4)

Sugar + Nitrogenous base = Nucleoside + Phosphate = Nucleotide

Different types of ribonucleotides or deoxyribonucleotides are shown in the table

Ribonucleotides (nucleotides of RNA)
Sugar	Nitrogenous base	Nucleoside	Phosphate	Nucleotide
Ribose	Adenine	Adenosine	Phosphate	Adenosine monophosphate (AMP)
Ribose	Guanine	Guanosine	Phosphate	Guanosine monophosphate (GMP)
Ribose	Cytosine	Cytidine	Phosphate	Cytidine monophosphate (CMP)
Ribose	Uracil	Uridine	Phosphate	Uridine monophosphate (UMP)
de-oxyribonucleotides (Nucleotides of DNA)
deoxy Ribose	Adenine	deoxyAdenosine	Phosphate	deoxyAdenosine monophosphate (dAMP)
deoxy Ribose	Guanine	deoxyGuanosine	Phosphate	deoxyGuanosine monophosphate (dGMP)
deoxy Ribose	Cytosine	deoxyCytidine	Phosphate	deoxyCytidine monophosphate (dCMP)
deoxy Ribose	Thymine	deoxyThymidine	Phosphate	deoxyThymidine monophosphate (dTMP)

Nitrogenous bases are attacched at C1 of sugar molecule by glycosidic bonds. Phosphate group joins the two nucleotides (one at C3 and the other at C5) by a bond known as phosphodiester bond.

RNA is a single stranded nucleotide. however DNA is a double stranded nucleotide and the two strands are held together by non covalent hydrogen bonds

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H---------- H-bonds ----------H- N Adenine Thymine

The five elements or atoms present in nucleotides are C, H, O, N and P