Unit 1 · 1.6 — Nucleic Acids [cite: 9, 24]

Everything to learn here

• Concept: Nucleic acids store, transmit, and help express hereditary genetic information [cite: 8, 26].
• Concept: DNA differs structurally from RNA in its pentose sugar (deoxyribose vs. ribose), base pairs (thymine vs. uracil), and overall strandedness (double vs. single) [cite: 10, 13, 20].
• Concept: DNA double-helix strands are antiparallel, meaning one strand is oriented 5' to 3' while the complementary strand runs 3' to 5' [cite: 13, 14].
• Vocabulary: Nucleotide — the monomeric unit of nucleic acids, consisting of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base [cite: 14, 15, 27].
• Vocabulary: Phosphodiester Bond — the strong covalent bond linking the sugar of one nucleotide to the phosphate group of the adjacent nucleotide [cite: 11].
• Vocabulary: Purines — double-ring nitrogenous bases, specifically Adenine and Guanine [cite: 14].
• Vocabulary: Pyrimidines — single-ring nitrogenous bases, specifically Cytosine, Thymine, and Uracil [cite: 14].
• Skill: FRQ Task Verb "Calculate" — Calculate the percentage composition of remaining nitrogenous bases in a DNA sample using Chargaff's rules [cite: 17, 22].
• Concept: Nucleotides are added to the 3' end of a growing nucleic acid, creating a linear sequence with distinct chemical ends.
• Concept: DNA consists of two antiparallel strands where specific nitrogenous bases pair through hydrogen bonding.
• Concept: Distinguish DNA from RNA based on their sugar components, specific nitrogenous bases, and typical number of strands.

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