2. Nucleic Acids
Organic compounds found in the nucleus of living cells. They store information that directs the activities of a cell by guiding the formation of both structural and enzymatic proteins.
Because nucleic acids contain the information necessary for the manufacture of the organism’s proteins, they also determine its characteristics.
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) ~ the primary nucleic acid in most organisms. It contains the information that is needed for almost all of a cell’s activities. Contains your genes.
Replication ~ the process by which a DNA molecule “unzips” so that free nucleotides that are in the cell can come and rebuild the missing half of the molecule. This results in 2 new identical DNA molecules forming from the original one.

3. DNA molecule = Sentence Genes = Words
Nucleotides (with different bases) = Letters

4. Nucleotides
Monomers of nucleic acids are nucleotides, which are composed of 3 components:
Sugar ~ the 5 carbon sugar deoxyribose
Phosphate ~ small molecule made of phosphorus & oxygen atoms
Base ~ each nucleotide will have one of the following bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine or thymine.
Adenine will bond only with thymine.
Guanine will bond only with cytosine.
Nucleotides are put together by dehydration synthesis.

7. Starch granules in potato tuber cells Starch
Figure 3.7
Starch granules in potato tuber cells
Starch
Glucose monomer
Glycogen granules in muscle tissue
Glycogen
Cellulose microfibrils in a plant cell wall
Cellulose
Figure 3.7 Polysaccharides
Hydrogen bonds
Cellulose molecules 7

8. Discovering the Structure of DNA
James Watson and Francis Crick ~ identified the structure of the DNA model in They referred to the shape as a double helix, which resembles a twisted ladder.

9. RNA
Ribonucleic acid ~ the basic nucleic acid in some viruses, but important to all living things.
3 Differences between RNA and DNA
Contains ribose instead of deoxyribose
Contains the same nitrogen bases as DNA except uracil replaces thymine
It’s single stranded instead of double stranded
mRNA (messenger RNA) is a type of RNA that codes for specific amino acid sequences which makeup proteins.
RNA is formed by Transcription ~ the process in which a DNA molecule will unzip and the proper nucleotides come and rebuild the missing half, but after forming, will detach from the DNA molecule. The DNA molecule will then “zip” back together.