COMPOUNDS OF LIVING THINGS Chapter 11 – 2 Part 4
NUCLEIC ACIDS Nucleic acids are biochemicals made up of nucleotides.
Nucleotides are molecules made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
BLUEPRINTS OF LIFE Nucleic acids store genetic information. They carry all of the information needed for a cell to make all of its proteins. All living things are different because the nucleotides are in a different order.
DNA and RNA There are two kinds of nucleic acids: DNA and RNA.
DNA DNA is the genetic material of the cell. They are long-chain polymers.
They can store huge amounts of information because of their length. The DNA molecule in a single human cell has a length of 2 m.
RNA When a cell needs to make protein, it copies a part of DNA and copies it onto RNA. Then the RNA directs the way the protein is made.
TIME TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER!