DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, doesn't have a single chemical formula like water (H2O). It's a complex molecule made up of repeating units called nucleotides. Each nucleotide consists of three parts:
- Deoxyribose sugar (C5H10O4): A five-carbon sugar that forms the backbone of the DNA molecule.
- Phosphate group (PO4 3-): A negatively charged group that connects the sugars of adjacent nucleotides.
- Nitrogenous base: One of four molecules (adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine) that contain nitrogen and form the "rungs" of the DNA ladder.
The sequence of these bases along the DNA molecule determines the genetic code.
While there isn't one formula for the entire DNA molecule, a general formula for a single nucleotide can be written as:
C5H10O4(PO4)3- + nitrogenous base
This formula represents a single nucleotide building block within the DNA molecule.
Example: The nucleotide containing adenine would have the formula: C5H10O4(PO4)3- + C5H5N5 (adenine).
To describe the entire DNA molecule, we would need to consider the length of the chain and the specific sequence of nitrogenous bases.
