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yeah it's condensation.

it's deoxyribonucleic acid.
Reply 2
darkenergy
yeah it's condensation.

it's deoxyribonucleic acid.


But how is it an acid? I can't find the acid group in the DNA molecule!?!?!
Let me do a search, I am not sure either tbh, after doing A-Level Biology. This is how useful A-Levels are these days. :rolleyes:
I can't find it, but a guess would be because it contains a phosphte group, which can also be called a phosphoric acid group.
Reply 6
A Bronsted-Lowry acid is a proton donor. The -OH groups on the phosphates, not involved in ester bonding, are ionised and lose a proton.
Reply 7
also, in organic chemistry, -COOH is the functional group for a carboxylic acid
Reply 8
spoon1
also, in organic chemistry, -COOH is the functional group for a carboxylic acid


Exactly :smile:
jcd
A Bronsted-Lowry acid is a proton donor. The -COOH groups on the phosphates, not involved in ester bonding, lose a proton.


are u sure theres a -COOH group in phosphates??? If you look at the pictures in my previous post it shows the O- (thats a minus, not a bond) on the phosphate. Presumably a Hydrogen was once on that oxygen. I think its most likely this is where the acid is in DNA
Reply 10
Sorry, I meant -OH but -COOH also acts in a similar way.
Reply 11
its the H+ bit of the phosphate group which i think gives it the name deoxyribonucleic ACID.......
Reply 12
DNA is a deoxyribonucleic acid, because the small building blocks that construct the DNA are amino acids, these long chains of proteins produce the lattice structure of DNA. Now the formula for a protein is ... NH2-COOH
The NH2 being the amine group, and the -COOH being the acid, hence Deoxyribosenucleic acid.
Reply 13
there you go!...a better answer than i could ever have given! :stupido:
Peevee
DNA is a deoxyribonucleic acid, because the small building blocks that construct the DNA are amino acids, these long chains of proteins produce the lattice structure of DNA. Now the formula for a protein is ... NH2-COOH
The NH2 being the amine group, and the -COOH being the acid, hence Deoxyribosenucleic acid.

This is factually incorrect. The building blocks of deoxyribonucleic acid are nucleic acids, which are made of a pentose sugar, a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group.
Reply 15
darkenergy
This is factually incorrect. The building blocks of deoxyribonucleic acid are nucleic acids, which are made of a pentose sugar, a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group.


True, the nitrogenous base is the part where the group -COOH is.
Reply 16
Peevee
True, the nitrogenous base is the part where the group -COOH is.

Uh, no. None of the nitrogenouse bases contain COOH groups.
They are bases because they can accept a proton with one of their nitrogens.
Reply 17
oxymoron
Uh, no. None of the nitrogenouse bases contain COOH groups.
They are bases because they can accept a proton with one of their nitrogens.


then either its a part of pentose sugar or the phosphate group.

I haven't studied this area of Chemistry.
Reply 18
Peevee
then either its a part of pentose sugar or the phosphate group.

I haven't studied this area of Chemistry.


No, neither of those contain a COOH group either :rolleyes:
Reply 19
I always assumed the acid came from the phosphate group which is based on Phosphoric acid (H3PO4) joining the sugar via a condensation reaction.

Something like what I've uploaded, but I haven't included the organic base. Not entirely sure this is remotely correct or well explained though !

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