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nucleoside vs. nucleotide

nucleoside vs. nucleotide: What’s the difference?

Nucleotides are molecules that are the building blocks of nucleic acids—DNA and RNA. Nucleotides are a combination of phosphate groups and nucleosides—compounds consisting of a sugar, usually ribose or deoxyribose, and a nitrogen base (a purine or pyrimidine). Adenosine and thymidine are examples of nucleosides.

nucleoside

[noo-klee-uh-sahyd, nyoo-] / ˈnu kli əˌsaɪd, ˈnyu- /

noun

Biochemistry.

any of the class of compounds derived by the hydrolysis of nucleic acids or nucleotides, consisting typically of deoxyribose or ribose combined with adenine, guanine, cytosine, uracil, or thymine.

nucleotide

[noo-klee-uh-tahyd, nyoo-] / ˈnu kli əˌtaɪd, ˈnyu- /

noun

Biochemistry.

any of a group of molecules that, when linked together, form the building blocks of DNA or RNA: composed of a phosphate group, the bases adenine, cytosine, guanine, and thymine, and a pentose sugar, in RNA the thymine base being replaced by uracil.