Chapter 12.3, Problem 4MI

Summary Introduction

To determine:

Features of DNA and RNA.

Introduction:

A nucleic acid is a chemical compound that represent macromolecules made up of nucleotides and contains the genetic information of a cell. It is used to code the proteins in the biological system. It is mainly of two types, DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid).

Explanation of Solution

Given below are the characteristics of the DNA and RNA molecules.

DNA:

• Stores genetic information.
• Has deoxyribose sugar
• Has thymine as one of the nitrogenous bases.
• It remains inside the nucleus.
• Generally present in double strand.

RNA:

• It conveys message.
• Has ribose sugar
• It has uracil as a nitrogenous base instead of thymine.
• It can travel outside the nucleus.
• Generally present in a single stranded form.

Both:

• Both are made up of nucleotides.
• Both have nitrogenous bases.
• Both can form double helical structure by complementary base pairing.