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Ch.11 Nucleic Acids–Big Molecules with a Big Role
Chapter 7, Problem 11.14

Draw the dinucleotide AT that would be found in DNA. Label the 5' and 3' ends of your structure. Identify the phosphodiester bond.

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1
Start by drawing the basic structure of a nucleotide, which consists of a phosphate group, a deoxyribose sugar, and a nitrogenous base.
For the first nucleotide, attach an adenine (A) base to the 1' carbon of the deoxyribose sugar.
For the second nucleotide, attach a thymine (T) base to the 1' carbon of another deoxyribose sugar.
Connect the 3' carbon of the first nucleotide's sugar to the 5' phosphate group of the second nucleotide's sugar, forming a phosphodiester bond.
Label the 5' end of the first nucleotide (where the free phosphate group is) and the 3' end of the second nucleotide (where the free hydroxyl group is).

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Dinucleotide Structure

A dinucleotide consists of two nucleotides linked together by a phosphodiester bond. Each nucleotide is made up of a phosphate group, a sugar (deoxyribose in DNA), and a nitrogenous base (adenine in this case). Understanding the arrangement of these components is essential for accurately drawing the dinucleotide AT.
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5' and 3' Ends

In nucleic acids, the 5' and 3' ends refer to the orientation of the sugar molecule in the nucleotide. The 5' end has a phosphate group attached to the fifth carbon of the sugar, while the 3' end has a hydroxyl group on the third carbon. Labeling these ends is crucial for understanding the directionality of DNA strands and their synthesis.
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Phosphodiester Bond

A phosphodiester bond is a covalent bond that links the phosphate group of one nucleotide to the hydroxyl group on the sugar of another nucleotide. This bond forms the backbone of DNA and RNA, providing structural integrity and allowing for the formation of long chains of nucleotides. Identifying this bond is key to understanding how nucleotides connect in a dinucleotide.
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