Chapter 20, Problem 20.13QP

Interpretation Introduction

Interpretation:

The term heterocyclic amine has to be defined.

Concept Introduction:

The compounds that have nitrogen atom with a lone pair directly attached to the hydrocarbon chains are known as amines. The cyclic ring that contains at least two different elements other than carbon as a member of that ring is known as heterocyclic ring.

Explanation of Solution

Heterocyclic amines are aromatic compounds that contain nitrogen as the heteroatom.

In nucleic acids, the nitrogenous bases are the heterocyclic amines. They are categorized into either purines or pyrimidines.

The purines are formed by the fusion of pyrimidine ring with an imidazole ring. There are two kinds of purines found in nucleic acids namely adenine and guanine described as follows:

The pyrimidines are the heterocyclic aromatic compounds that have two nitrogens as depicted in the pyrimidine nucleus below:

In nucleic acids, there are three kinds of pyrimidines such as cytosine, thymine, and uracil.