Physical properties of nucleic acid
Answers
Answer:
chemical compound
WRITTEN BY
Richard J. Roberts
Research director, New England Biolabs, Ipswich, Mass., U.S. Recipient of 1993 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.
See Article History
Alternative Title: nuclein
Nucleic acid, naturally occurring chemical compound that is capable of being broken down to yield phosphoric acid, sugars, and a mixture of organic bases (purines and pyrimidines). Nucleic acids are the main information-carrying molecules of the cell, and, by directing the process of protein synthesis, they determine the inherited characteristics of every living thing. The two main classes of nucleic acids are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). DNA is the master blueprint for life and constitutes the genetic material in all free-living organisms and most viruses. RNA is the genetic material of certain viruses, but it is also found in all living cells, where it plays an important role in certain processes such as the making of proteins.
