What makes nucleotides acidic

Asked 9 years ago. Active 9 years ago. Viewed 60k times. Improve this question. Community Bot 1. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. When these bases are bound to a sugar 2-deoxyribose for DNA , they form the nucleosides Adenosine, Cytidine, Guanosine or Thymidine respectively: When the nucleosides are bound to one or more phosphate groups, they become nucleotides. The general structure of a nucleotide is source : Finally, nucleotides are joined together through their phosphate groups that form phosphodiester bonds between the third and fifth carbon atoms of adjacent sugar rings.

This polymer is what we know of as DNA: So, after this long introduction, the acidity of DNA is caused by the presence of the phosphate groups which are themselves acidic. Improve this answer. Though the proportions are equal, the nucleotides are weak bases, so the overall pH is acidic.

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List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph. Chemistry Expert. Nucleic acids are the main information-carrying molecules of the cell, and, by directing the process of protein synthesis, they determine the inherited characteristics of every living thing. Perhaps the most familiar function of a nucleic acid in the body is that of DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid.

DNA contains the genetic code, which consists of the sum of all information a cell or organism requires to perform its functions. Your cells, for instance, have a central nucleus that contains your DNA. They are called nucleic acids because scientists first found them in the nucleus of cells.