Step-by-step explanation:
The polymer structure made up of nucleic acids is called a nucleic acid chain. Nucleic acids are long chains of nucleotides, which are the building blocks of DNA and RNA.
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid) are the two types of nucleic acids found in living organisms. Both DNA and RNA are made up of repeating units called nucleotides.
Each nucleotide consists of three components: a sugar molecule (deoxyribose in DNA and ribose in RNA), a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base. The nitrogenous base can be adenine (A), thymine (T) (in DNA only), cytosine (C), guanine (G), or uracil (U) (in RNA only).
In DNA, the nucleotides form a double-stranded helical structure, with the sugar-phosphate backbones on the outside and the nitrogenous bases paired in the middle. The pairing of nitrogenous bases follows specific rules: adenine (A) pairs with thymine (T) via two hydrogen bonds, and cytosine (C) pairs with guanine (G) via three hydrogen bonds. This is known as complementary base pairing.
In RNA, the structure is usually single-stranded, although it can also form secondary structures through base pairing within the same molecule or with another RNA molecule. The base pairing rules are similar to those in DNA, with adenine (A) pairing with uracil (U) via two hydrogen bonds, and cytosine (C) pairing with guanine (G) via three hydrogen bonds.
Overall, the nucleic acid chain structure, made up of nucleotides, is responsible for carrying and transmitting genetic information in living organisms.