Question

A nucleoside differs from a nucleotide because it lacks:

• A. Nitrogenous base
• B. Pentose sugar
• C. Phosphate group
• D. Glycosidic bond

Hint:

Remember the relation: \[ \boxed{ \text{Nucleoside}+\text{Phosphate} = \text{Nucleotide} } \] Examples: \[ \boxed{ \begin{aligned} \text{Adenosine} &\rightarrow \text{Nucleoside}\\ \text{AMP} &\rightarrow \text{Nucleotide} \end{aligned} } \] The phosphate group is the distinguishing feature of a nucleotide.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

A nucleoside consists of a nitrogenous base covalently bonded to a pentose sugar (ribose or deoxyribose) through an N-glycosidic bond. A nucleotide is a nucleoside with one or more phosphate groups esterified to the $5'$ (or $3'$) carbon of the sugar, so a nucleoside lacks the phosphate group that characterises a nucleotide.