Question

figure 1 represents a nucleic acid fragment that is made up of four nucleotides linked together in a chain. figure 1. nucleic acid fragment which of the following characteristics of figure 1 best shows that the fragment is rna and not dna? a the 5 to 3 orientation of the nucleotide chain b the identity of each nitrogenous base c the charges on the phosphate groups d the type of bond linking the nucleotides together

Explanation:

RNA has ribose sugar with an -OH at 2' carbon. DNA has deoxy - ribose with -H at 2' carbon. This is a key difference. Nitrogenous bases can be similar in both. Bond types and phosphate charges are common. 5'-3' orientation is not unique to RNA.

Answer:

None of the above options are correct as the key feature to distinguish is the sugar type (not given). If we assume based on sugar - related inference from the structure's context, none of these options directly address the sugar - based difference which is the most definitive for RNA vs DNA.