Final answer:
Deoxyribonucleotides, consisting of a deoxyribose sugar, a base, and 3 phosphate groups, are the raw materials for new DNA synthesis. The correct answer is C) Deoxyribonucleotides. These nucleotides form the backbone of DNA through a structure known as polynucleotides.
Step-by-step explanation:
The raw materials from which new DNA molecules are synthesized are deoxyribonucleotides, each consisting of a deoxyribose sugar and a base (a nucleoside) attached to 3 phosphate groups. The correct answer to the question is C) Deoxyribonucleotides.
Each nucleotide is composed of three primary components: a nitrogenous base, a pentose (five-carbon) sugar, and a phosphate group. DNA and RNA differ in the type of pentose sugar they contain; DNA has deoxyribose, which lacks an oxygen atom at the 2' position, whereas RNA contains ribose. When nucleotides join, they form chains called polynucleotides, the structure of DNA and RNA.