Organic Chemistry III

Professor Carl C. Wamser

Nucleic Acids

Knowledge - Level 1

know the terminology:

nucleic acid, DNA, RNA, m-RNA, t-RNA, r-RNA, nucleoside, nucleotide, base-pairing,
ribosomes, replication, transcription, translation, codon, anticodon

know the specific complementary base pairs:

A - T and G - C in DNA
A - U and G - C in RNA

know the structures of the 5 nucleic acid bases and their nucleosides and nucleotides

Concepts - Level 2

recognize the structural components of nucleotides and nucleic acids, including directionality (5' and 3' ends)

recognize the specificity of base pairing, leading to the double helix

understand the process of DNA replication

understand the process of RNA transcription of DNA information

understand the process of RNA translation of information into peptide synthesis

Applications - Level 3 

use the codon tables to identify amino acid codons and anticodons

Analytical Skills - Level 4

follow the processes of replication, transcription, and translation, identifying and correlating base pairs with the resultant amino acid