Question

What types of elements make up nucleic acids?

Answer 1

Hint: A nucleic acid is an organic compound. DNA and RNA are types of nucleic acids. These long chain polymers contain a sugar moiety, phosphoric acid and four nitrogen containing heterocyclic compounds called bases.

Complete step by step answer:
Nucleic acids are of two types, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA).
DNA or RNA comprises a pentose sugar, phosphoric acid and bases.
Pentose sugar: In a DNA molecule, pentose sugar is β-D-2-deoxyribose and in an RNA molecule, it is β-D-2-ribose. These organic compounds are made up of elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.
Phosphoric acid: \[{{\text{H}}_3}{\text{P}}{{\text{O}}_4}\]is made up of elements hydrogen, oxygen and phosphorus.
Bases: DNA contains four bases, i.e., adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine. RNA also contains four bases, i.e., adenine, guanine, cytosine and uracil.
Adenine consists of elements carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen. Guanine, cytosine, thymine and uracil consist of elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen.
Hence, carbon \[({\text{C}})\], hydrogen \[({\text{H}})\], oxygen \[({\text{O}})\], nitrogen \[({\text{N}})\] and phosphorous \[({\text{P}})\]make up nucleic acids.

Additional Information:
A ‘nucleoside’ is defined as a unit formed when a sugar moiety is attached to a base at a fixed position. When this nucleoside is attached to phosphoric acid at another fixed position of sugar moiety, it forms a ‘nucleotide’. Nucleic acids are long chain polymers of nucleotides.

Note: The knowledge of complex structures of sugar moiety and bases are not required to know the elements that make up nucleic acids. A basic knowledge of sugar molecules and bases is enough to answer this question.