Nucleic Acid

Nucleic acids are biomolecules that are made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and phosphorus. They are polymers of smaller molecules called nucleotides. Each nucleotide is made of a sugar, a phosphate and a nitrogen molecule called a nitrogen base. Later you will learn how these nitrogen bases are used to assemble the many possible proteins in organisms. Nucleic acids store and transmit hereditary, or genetic, information. This is information passed from one generation of organisms to the next and is used to produce the necessary molecules needed for the new generation to grow and survive. There are two types of nucleic acids ribonucleic acid (RNA) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).