Question

Which one of the following is least likely to be found in a nucleotide?

A. All of the answer choices are equally likely to be found in a nucleotide.
B. A five-carbon sugar
C. One or more phosphate groups
D. A nitrogen-containing base
E. A side chain

Answer 1

A side chain is least likely to be found in a nucleotide; nucleotides consist of a phosphate group, a pentose sugar, and a nitrogen-containing base.

Step-by-step explanation:

Regarding the structure of nucleotides, the least likely component to be found is a side chain. Nucleotides are the building blocks of nucleic acids (DNA or RNA), and each nucleotide is composed of three essential components: one or more phosphate groups, a pentose sugar (either ribose in RNA or deoxyribose in DNA), and a nitrogen-containing base (adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine in DNA, or uracil in RNA).

The question regarding DNA specifically mentions amino acids, which are not found in nucleotides. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, not nucleic acids. In contrast, the nitrogen-containing bases, phosphate groups, and pentose sugars are fundamental parts of the nucleotide structure. The phosphate group of one nucleotide bonds with the sugar of the next, creating a sugar-phosphate backbone for DNA and RNA.