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Q.Two among the three components of DNA are β\beta-D-2-deoxyribose and a heterocyclic base. The third component is:
(A) Adenine
(B) Phosphoric acid
(C) Sulphuric acid
(D) Uracil

CBSECBSE Class XII Board 2024MCQ· 1mImportance★★★★★
✓ Free question

DNA is built from three components: a sugar (deoxyribose), a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base. The third component here is phosphoric acid, which forms the backbone of the DNA strand.

The question tests your understanding of the basic building blocks of nucleic acids. DNA and RNA are polymers — long chains of repeating units called nucleotides. Each nucleotide has three parts: a sugar, a phosphate, and a base. The sugar in DNA is β\beta-D-2-deoxyribose, and the bases are heterocyclic compounds (like adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine). The third component, which links the sugars together, is a phosphate group derived from phosphoric acid.

Let’s break it down:

  1. Identify what’s already given.

    The problem states that two components are β\beta-D-2-deoxyribose (the sugar) and a heterocyclic base. That leaves the third component — the one that connects nucleotides into a chain.

  2. Recall the structure of a nucleotide.

    A DNA nucleotide consists of:

    • A pentose sugar (deoxyribose)
    • A nitrogenous base (adenine, guanine, cytosine, or thymine)
    • A phosphate group (PO43−\text{PO}_4^{3-}), which comes from phosphoric acid (H3PO4\text{H}_3\text{PO}_4)

    The phosphate group forms a phosphodiester bond between the 3' carbon of one sugar and the 5' carbon of the next, creating the sugar-phosphate backbone.

  3. Eliminate the wrong options.

    • (A) Adenine — This is a heterocyclic base, already covered by “a heterocyclic base” in the question. So it cannot be the third component.
    • (C) Sulphuric acid — Not a component of DNA. Sulfur is found in some proteins (e.g., cysteine) but not in the DNA backbone.
    • (D) Uracil — This is a base found in RNA, not DNA. DNA uses thymine instead of uracil.
  4. Confirm the correct option.

    The third component is the phosphate group, which is derived from phosphoric acid. In biological contexts, we often say “phosphate” or “phosphoric acid” interchangeably when referring to the source of the phosphate group in nucleotides.

Watch out

A common mistake is to think of “phosphoric acid” as a separate molecule floating in the cell. In DNA, the phosphate is covalently bonded to the sugar — it’s not free acid. But the question uses “phosphoric acid” to mean the source of the phosphate group, which is standard in such exam questions.

Tip

Remember the mnemonic: DNA = Deoxyribose + Nitrogenous base + Acid (phosphoric). The “acid” part is often overlooked, but it’s essential for the backbone.

✓Final answer

The correct option is (B) Phosphoric acid.

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