Question

Name two biologically important compounds that contain both oxygen and nitrogen?

Answer 1

Hint: Oxygen and nitrogen are very essential for the living beings. Oxygen is necessary for carrying out metabolic activities whereas nitrogen forms the functional framework of the cell and an important part of several cell processes.

Complete answer:
the importance of the oxygen in our body. We need oxygen for respiration. The oxygen burns up the glucose present in our food and provides us with energy. Similarly, nitrogen is also one of the essential components of a living cell. It forms the framework of the very important molecules like nucleic acid and proteins.

Let us discuss the molecules which contain nitrogen and oxygen.
• Nucleic acid- Nucleic acid comprises both DNA and RNA. It is made up of ribose or deoxyribose sugar, phosphate and nitrogenous bases like adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and in the case of RNA is Uracil. Oxygen is found in the sugar backbone. DNA and RNA form the genetic material of the cell.
• Proteins- Proteins are the building blocks of the living cell. It is made up of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, oxygen. The chain of amino acids forms proteins and these amino acids are synthesised by the DNA and RNA.

Note: Other biologically important constituents of organic matter are hydrogen and carbon. The carbon and hydrogen forms carbohydrates, fats, proteins along with oxygen and other molecules. Phosphorus is also an essential mineral as it is present in DNA and also in ATP.