Chemistry A-Level
charged phosphate groups
What charged phosphate groups means in Chemistry A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definition of charged phosphate groups
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Reference: AQA
After forming two ester links a phosphate keeps one ionisable OH, which at the pH inside a cell loses its proton, so the backbone is a chain of negative charges.
Topics that use charged phosphate groups
- DNA (A-level only) (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- 2-deoxyribose
- complementary base pairing
- hydrogen bonding between bases
- phosphate bridge between sugars
- polar backbone faces water
- purine with pyrimidine
- alternating backbone
- base sequence stores information
Using charged phosphate groups in the exam
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