CHEMISTRY-VIII NOTES PREPARED BY Dr.

DHONDIBA VISHWANATH SURYAWANSHI, GFGC KR PURAM BENGALURU-36

Nucleic acids 3 hours Max. Mars: 08

Types of nucleic acids, components of nucleic acids, bases, nucleosides and
nucleotides. Chargaff’s rule of base equivalence. Polynucleotide- partial structure,
structure of DNA (Watson-Crick model) and RNA. Biological roles of DNA and
RNA. Protein-nucleic acid interaction- chromatin (Histone - nucleic acid
interaction) and viral nuclear capsid (Icosahedral virus).

Meaning: Nucleic acids are vital components of living system responsible for the
storage and transmission of genetic information. They were initially isolated from
cell nuclei. Later it was found that they occur both in the nucleus and cytosol of
cells.
Types of nucleic acid:
Nucleic acids are classified into two category namely deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA)
Components of nucleic acids: nucleic acids on complete hydrolysis, catalysed by
acid or base or specific enzymes breaks down into three characteristic components
namely
Heterocyclic nitrogenous basis, Sugar and Phosphoric acid
1) Heterocyclic nitrogenous basis: Two classes of Heterocyclic nitrogenous
basis are found in nucleic acids those are
a) Pyrimidine bases: Pyrimidine bases are three in number namely
cytosine(C), uracil(U) and thymine(T).
NH2 O O
4
3 N 5 CH3
N HN HN
2 6
N O N O N
1 O N
H H H
pyrimidine base cytosine Uracil Thymine
( 4 - amino 2 - oxo pyrimidine) ( 2, 4 - dioxo pyrimidine) ( 2, 4 - dioxo 5 -methyl pyrimidine)

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CHEMISTRY-VIII NOTES PREPARED BY Dr. DHONDIBA VISHWANATH SURYAWANSHI, GFGC KR PURAM BENGALURU-36

Cytosine is present in both DND and RNA. Uracil is present only in RNA and
thymine in DNA.
b) Purine bases: Purine bases are two in numbers namely adenine (A) and
guanine (G).

NH2 O
6 7
5 N
1N N N
N HN
8
2 N 4 NH NH NH
9 N H2N N
3
Purine base Adenine Guanine
(6 - amino purine) (2 - amino 6 -oxo purine)

2) Sugars: The sugar present in nucleic acids is a pentose. β –D –ribose is

present in RNA and 2-deoxy- β –D –ribose in DNA. Their structures are
HOH 2C O OH O OH
HOH 2C

H H H H
H H H H
OH OH OH H
D -Ribose Deoxy D -Ribose

3) Phosphoric acid: It is present in nucleotides only. The structure of

phosphoric acid given below
O O
- -
HO P OH O P O
-
OH O
Phosphoric acid Phosphate group

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CHEMISTRY-VIII NOTES PREPARED BY Dr. DHONDIBA VISHWANATH SURYAWANSHI, GFGC KR PURAM BENGALURU-36

4) NUCLEOSIDES: When one of the purine and pyrimidine bases is attached

to either β –D –ribose or 2-deoxy- β –D –ribose, the compound formed is
nucleoside. A nitrogen atom of the base (N -9 of the purines of N -1 of the
pyrimidines) is bounded by a N –glycosidic linkage to carbon -1 of ribose or
deoxyribose.The glycosidic linkage is always β. The nucleosides are called
adenosine, guanosine, cytidine and uridine when ribose is present and 2 –
deoxyadenosine, 2-deoxyguanosine, 2-deoxycytidine and 2 –
deoxythymidine when 2 –deoxyribose is present.
HOH 2C O Base

H H
H H
OH OH
Ribonucleoside
NH2
O
N
N
N
HN
N N
H2N N N

HOH 2C O
HOH 2C O

H H
H H
H H
H H
OH OH
OH OH
Adenosine
Guanosine
(9 - D -ribofuranosyl guanine)

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CHEMISTRY-VIII NOTES PREPARED BY Dr. DHONDIBA VISHWANATH SURYAWANSHI, GFGC KR PURAM BENGALURU-36

NH2 O

N HN

O N O N
O HOH 2C O
HOH 2C

H H H H

H H H
H
OH OH OH OH

Cytidine Uridine
(1 - D -ribofuranosyl cytosine) (1 - D -ribofuranosyl uracil)

HOH 2C O Base

H H
H H
OH H
Deoxyribonucleoside

NH2
O
N
N
N
HN
N N
H2N N N

HOH 2C O
HOH 2C O

H H
H H
H H
H H
OH H
OH OH
2'- deoxyadenosine
(9 - D -2'- ribofuranosyl adenine) 2'- deoxyguanosine
(9 - D -2'-ribofuranosyl guanine)

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CHEMISTRY-VIII NOTES PREPARED BY Dr. DHONDIBA VISHWANATH SURYAWANSHI, GFGC KR PURAM BENGALURU-36

NH2 O

HN CH3
N

O N O N
O HOH 2C O
HOH 2C

H H H H

H H H
H
OH OH OH OH

2'- deoxycytidine 2'- deoxythymidine

(1 - D -2'-ribofuranosyl cytosine) (1 - D -2'-ribofuranosyl thymine)

NUCLEOTIDES: Nucleotides are phosphoric acid esters of nucleosides in which

phosphoric acid is esterified to one of the hydroxyl groups of the pentose sugar.
C-3 and C-5 of sugar are commonly involved in phosphorylation.
Ribonucleotides are named after the bases they contain. Thus
adenosine -5’monophosphate is called adenylic acid (AMP). Similarly the
other ribonucleotides are guanylic acid(GMP), uridylic acid (UMP) and
cytidylic acid (CMP).

O
O CH3
HN
HO P O CH2 O Base O
- O O N
O HO P O CH2
H H
-
O H H
H H
OH OH H H
Ribonucleotides OH OH
Uridylic acid
(1 -uridine 5'-monophosphate)

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CHEMISTRY-VIII NOTES PREPARED BY Dr. DHONDIBA VISHWANATH SURYAWANSHI, GFGC KR PURAM BENGALURU-36

NH2 O

N N
N HN

N H2N N N
N
O O

O HO P O CH2 O
HO P O CH2
-
- O
O H H H H

H H H
H
OH H OH H
Adenylic acid (AMP) Guanylic acid (GMP)
(9 -Adenosine 5'-monophosphate) (9 -Guanosine 5'-monophosphate)

Deoxyribonucleotides are named after the bases they contain. Thus 2’-
deoxyadenosine -5’monophosphate is called deoxyadenylic acid (dAMP).
Similarly the other 2’-deoxy ribonucleotides are deoxyguanylic acid (dGMP),
deoxythymidylic acid (dTMP) and deoxycytidylic acid (dCMP).
O

HO P O CH2 O Base
-
O H H
H H
OH H
Deoxyribonucleotides

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CHEMISTRY-VIII NOTES PREPARED BY Dr. DHONDIBA VISHWANATH SURYAWANSHI, GFGC KR PURAM BENGALURU-36

NH2 O

N N
N HN

N H2N N N
N
O O H
O HO P O CH2 O
HO P O CH2
- -
O O H H
H H
H H H
H
OH H OH H
Deoxydenylic acid (dAMP) Deoxyguanylic acid (dGMP)
(2'-Deoxyadenosine 5'-monophosphate) (2'-Deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate)

NH2 O
CH3
N HN

O O O N
O N
O HO P O CH2 O
HO P O CH2
-
- O
O H H H H

H H H
H
OH H OH H
Deoxycytidylic acid (dCMP) Deoxythymidylic acid (dTMP)
(2'-Deoxycytosine 5'-monophosphate) (2'-Deoxythymidine 5'-monophosphate)

Erwin Chargaff’s rule of base equivalence: In all species of DNA, the

number of adenine residues is equal to the number of thymine residues
(A=T) and the number of guanine residues is always equal to the number of
cytosine residue (G = C). This rule is called Erwin Chargaff’s rule of base
equivalence.
Mathematically,
𝐴+𝐺
A+G=C+T OR =1
𝐶+𝑇

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CHEMISTRY-VIII NOTES PREPARED BY Dr. DHONDIBA VISHWANATH SURYAWANSHI, GFGC KR PURAM BENGALURU-36

For example, in sheep, A=29.3, G=21.4, C=21.0, T=28.3 Then, according

to Chargaff’s rule
𝐴+𝐺
A+G=C+T OR =1
𝐶+𝑇
50.7
29.3 +21.4 =21.0 + 28.3 ≅1
49.3

50.7 ≅49.3
POLYNUCLEOTIDES: Polynucleotides are formed when adjacent
nucleotides are linked through phosphate diester bonds. The partial structure
of a polynucleotide can be represented as shown below.
Dinucleotide

O Base O Base O

- -
O P O Pentose O P O Pentose O P O
- - -
O O O
Phosphate diester linkage

In a polynucleotides C-3’of the pentose sugar is linked to C-5’of the pentose

sugar in the adjacent nucleotide through a phosphate diester linkage.
Nucleic acids are polymers containing a very large number of
nucleotides in a specific sequence. RNA can be regarded as a
polyribonucleotide and DNA as a polydeoxy rionucleotide. Segment of
RNA and DNA can be represented as below.

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