Nucleic acid functional groups

In this section we briefly consider the osmotic pressure of polymers which carry an electric charge in solution. These include synthetic polymers with ionizable functional groups such as -NH2 and -COOH, as well as biopolymers such as proteins and nucleic acids. In this discussion we shall restrict our consideration... 

The Npeoc group was introduced for protection of the exocyclic amino functions of nucleic acid bases, but has also been used for simple amines. 

We ll see numerous instances in future chapters where the chemistry of a given functional group is strongly affected by being in a ring rather than an open chain. Because cyclic molecules are so commonly encountered in all classes of bioniolecules, including proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids, it s important that the effects of their cyclic structures be understood. 

Amides, like esters, are abundant in all living organisms—proteins, nucleic acids, and many pharmaceuticals have amide functional groups. The reason for this abundance of amides, of course, is that they are stable to the conditions found in living organisms. Amides are the least reactive of the common acid derivatives and undergo relatively few nucleophilic acyl substitution reactions. 

By the end of this chapter, we will have seen all the common functional groups. Of those groups, amines and carbonyl compounds are the most abundant and have the richest chemistry. In addition to the proteins and nucleic acids already mentioned, the majority of pharmaceutical agents contain amine functional groups, and many of the common coenzymes necessary for biological catalysis are amines. 

Recent developments in DNA/RNA chemical synthesis have allowed us to attach some functional groups covalently to nucleic acids, thus permitting the introduction of a functionality or properties not normally present in the native biomolecule The use of non-nucleosidic linkers is probably the most popular approach for the 5 -terminal modification of chemically synthesized nucleic acid oligonucleotides and a number of such linkers are commercially available. The linker shown in Fig. 2 is designed as a phosphoramidate derivative so that it can be incorporated into the 5 -terminus of the sequence as the last... 

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