Draw the chemical structure of the three components of a nucleotide, and then link the three together. What atoms are removed from the structures when the linkages are formed?

Key Concepts

Nucleotide Structure

A nucleotide is composed of three main components: a phosphate group, a five-carbon sugar (ribose in RNA or deoxyribose in DNA), and a nitrogenous base (adenine, thymine, cytosine, or guanine). The phosphate group is attached to the 5' carbon of the sugar, while the nitrogenous base is linked to the 1' carbon. Understanding this structure is essential for visualizing how nucleotides form the building blocks of nucleic acids.

Phosphodiester Bond Formation

Nucleotides are linked together through phosphodiester bonds, which form between the phosphate group of one nucleotide and the hydroxyl group on the 3' carbon of another nucleotide's sugar. This linkage results in the formation of a sugar-phosphate backbone, crucial for the structural integrity of DNA and RNA. Recognizing this process is vital for understanding how nucleic acids are synthesized.

Dehydration Synthesis

The formation of phosphodiester bonds involves a dehydration synthesis reaction, where a water molecule is removed as the bond is formed. Specifically, a hydroxyl group (–OH) from the sugar and a hydrogen atom (–H) from the phosphate group are eliminated, resulting in the release of water. This concept is fundamental in biochemistry, as it highlights how macromolecules are constructed through the removal of water.