Question

Uracil is a base present in RNA with the following structure $\%$ of $N$ in uracil is ___

Answer 1

Correct Answer: 25

To find the percentage of nitrogen (N) in uracil, we first need to calculate the molecular weight of uracil by adding up the atomic masses of all atoms present in the molecule.
Molecular formula of uracil: C₄H₄N₂O₂

1. Calculate the total molar mass:
- Molar mass of C (carbon) = 12 g/mol
- Molar mass of H (hydrogen) = 1 g/mol
- Molar mass of N (nitrogen) = 14 g/mol
- Molar mass of O (oxygen) = 16 g/mol

Total molar mass of uracil = (4 × 12) + (4 × 1) + (2 × 14) + (2 × 16)
= 48 + 4 + 28 + 32
= 112 g/mol

2. Calculate the total mass of nitrogen in uracil:
Total nitrogen mass = 2 × 14 = 28 g/mol

3. Calculate the percentage of nitrogen in uracil:
Percentage of N = (Total nitrogen mass / Total molar mass of uracil) × 100
= (28 / 112) × 100
= 25%

The percentage of nitrogen in uracil is confirmed to be within the specified range of 25 to 25.