Science, Tech, Math › Science Nucleic Acid Facts Quick Facts about Nucleic Acids Share Flipboard Email Print Wikimedia Commons Science Chemistry Biochemistry Basics Chemical Laws Molecules Periodic Table Projects & Experiments Scientific Method Physical Chemistry Medical Chemistry Chemistry In Everyday Life Famous Chemists Activities for Kids Abbreviations & Acronyms Biology Physics Geology Astronomy Weather & Climate By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Facebook Twitter Chemistry Expert Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on September 01, 2019 If you're taking general chemistry, organic chemistry, or biochemistry, you'll need to understand some basic concepts about nucleic acids, the polymers used to code the genetic information of organisms. Here are some quick nucleic acid facts to get you started. Genetic Information Nucleic acids are the molecules that code the genetic information of organisms. The two nucleic acids used in the repair, reproduction, and protein synthesis are deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA, as shown in the graphic) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). DNA and RNA are polymers made up of monomers called nucleotides. Double Helix A DNA molecule is a double helix made up of two strands of polymers that are complementary to each other but not identical. Hydrogen bonding holds the base pairs of the two strands together. The DNA base pairs are made up of adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine RNA uses uracil in place of thiamine RNA is used to direct the production of proteins by the cell. RNA is created by copying DNA Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Nucleic Acid Facts." ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/nucleic-acid-facts-608194. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2021, February 16). Nucleic Acid Facts. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/nucleic-acid-facts-608194 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Nucleic Acid Facts." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/nucleic-acid-facts-608194 (accessed June 5, 2023). copy citation Featured Video