CHEM 313 Lecture Notes - 3I, Benzamide, Sin
Document Summary
We have studied two of the three major kinds of biopolymers: polysaccharides and proteins. Now we will look at the third: nucleic acids. There are two types of nucleic acids: deoxyribonucleic acid (dna) and ribonucleic acid (rna). Dna contains the genes for heredity; it must be replicated for cell division. In most organisms, the genetic information stored in dna is transcribed into rna. This information can then be translated into the synthesis of all the proteins needed for cellular structure and function. Dna was first isolated in 1869 from the nuclei of white blood cells. Because this material was in the nucleus and was acidic, it was called nucleic acid. Nucleotides are also involved in a number of other cellular processes such as energy storage (atp) and cofactor (nad/nadh) functions. Dna exists largely as a double helix that is composed of an alternating sugar-phosphate backbone.
