Basis of differentiation | Amino acid | Nucleic acid |
Definition | Is the building block of proteins | Is the genetic material of living things |
Chemical nature | Is a simple organic molecule that contains both carboxyl and amino groups | Is a complex organic macromolecule such as DNA or RNA, made up of many nucleotides linked in a long chain |
Atoms | C, H, O, N, and S | C, H, O, N, and P |
Functional groups | Contains carboxylic groups and amino groups | Contains pentose sugars, nitrogenous bases and phosphate groups |
Polymer/Monomer | Is a monomer | Is a polymer |
Type of bonds between monomers | Peptide bonds occur between amino acids | Phosphodiester bonds occur between nucleotides |
Serves as a foundation for | Proteins | Nucleotide |
General structure | Contains a hydrogen atom, a side chain (R group), a carboxyl group and an amine group attached to a central carbon atom | Contains a large number of nucleotides bonded to each other via phosphodiester bonds |
Types | Many types depending on the R group | 2 major types - DNA and RNA |
Synthesis | May be synthesized or obtained from the diet | Are synthesized inside the cell by DNA replication and transcription |
Functions | Is used in mRNA translation as building blocks of proteins | Stores genetic information of the cell and is involved in synthesis of functional proteins |