Return to Contents Chapter 28: Nucleosides, Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids Ch 28 contents
Nucleotides
 
  • Nucleotides are the 5'-phosphate esters nucleosides.
  • Phosphate esters are esters of phosphoric acid, H3PO4
  • Remember an ester has an alkoxy group, -OR, whereas an acid has a hydroxy group, -OH.
  • Nucleotides contain three structural subunits, a nitrogen base, a carbohydrate and a phosphate ester.
  • DNA and RNA nucleotides are different because of :
    • different carbohydrate unit 
    • different bases 
 
pyrimidine base = adenine

carbohydrate = ribose

phosphate esters = 1 unit
Adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)
     
previous page
 next page
organic chemistry © Dr. Ian Hunt, Department of Chemistry University of Calgary