Nucleic Acids, Nucleosides, and Nucleotides

**Semantic type:** Nucleic Acid, Nucleoside, or Nucleotide

**Definition:** A header concept for chemicals that are the building blocks of inherited genetic information. The monomer structure (nucleoside) contains either a purine or pyrimidine base linked to a deoxyribose or ribose carbohydrate group. Nucleotides are composed of a nucleoside and one to three phosphate groups. Nucleic acids are polymers of nucleotides that are linked by phosphodiester bonds.