What is adenine?

A) a base found in RNA

B) an acid found in RNA

C) a sugar found in RNA

D) a phosphorus containing compound found in RNA

Ribonucleic acid so B. Adenine is one of the nucleobases present in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), the genetic information stored within organisms. It is a substance often studied in biochemistry because of its many important roles in the bodies of organisms. It has the chemical formula C5H5N5. It is a purine, meaning that it is a kind of organic compound that is composed of carbon and nitrogen atoms arranged in the form of two rings.

DNA and RNA are extraordinarily important nucleic acids because they contain the genetic information used for the growth, repair, development, and reproduction of all organisms. They are each made up of four nucleobases: DNA is composed of adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine; RNA is composed of the same, but with uracil instead of thymine. The arrangements of these nucleobases determine the exact nature of the genetic code contained in the DNA or RNA. Adenine is one of these nucleobases, so it is of the utmost importance to the genetic structure of all living organisms.

In DNA, adenine bonds only to thymine. It does so with two strong hydrogen bonds, so the bond is difficult to break and the code is difficult to damage. In RNA, adenine bonds with uracil; the particular kinds of reactions that RNA is involved in favor uracil to thymine. In both cases, the particular arrangement of nucleobases determines the genetic properties of the nucleic acid.