Question:

Differentiate between the following:
(i) Acidic amino acids and basic amino acids
(ii) Nucleotide and Nucleoside

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Amino acids are classified by the number of acidic (-COOH) and basic (-NH 2 ) groups they contain. Nucleotides and nucleosides are units of nucleic acids that differ in whether a phosphate group is present.
Updated On: Jun 16, 2026
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Solution and Explanation

Concept: Amino acids are classified by the number of acidic (-COOH) and basic (-NH2) groups they contain. Nucleotides and nucleosides are units of nucleic acids that differ in whether a phosphate group is present.
Answer:
(i) Acidic amino acids contain more carboxylic acid (-COOH) groups than amino (-NH2) groups, so they are acidic in nature (for example, aspartic acid and glutamic acid). Basic amino acids contain more amino (-NH2) groups than carboxylic acid groups, so they are basic in nature (for example, lysine and arginine).
(ii) A nucleoside is made of a nitrogenous base joined to a sugar (pentose) only, that is base + sugar. A nucleotide contains a nitrogenous base, a sugar and a phosphate group, that is base + sugar + phosphate. In short, a nucleotide is a nucleoside with a phosphate group attached.
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