Nucleotide
![This nucleotide contains the five-carbon sugar deoxyribose, a nitrogenous base called adenine, and one phosphate group. Together, the deoxyribose and adenine make up a nucleoside (specifically, a deoxyribonucleoside) called deoxyadenosine. With the one phosphate group included, whole structure is considered a deoxyribonucleotide (a nucleotide constituent of DNA) with the name deoxyadenosine monophosphate.](/Images/godic/202501/08/DAMP_chemical_structure4516.png")
![The structure of nucleotide monomers.](/Images/godic/202501/08/0322_DNA_Nucleotides4516.jpg")
![Structural elements of common nucleic acid constituents. Because they contain at least one phosphate group, the compounds marked nucleoside monophosphate, nucleoside diphosphate and nucleoside triphosphate are all nucleotides (not simply phosphate-lacking nucleosides).](/Images/godic/202501/08/Nucleotides_1.svg4516.png")
![The synthesis of UMP.The color scheme is as follows: enzymes, coenzymes, substrate names, inorganic molecules](/Images/godic/202501/08/Nucleotides_syn24516.png")
Nucleotides are organic molecules that serve as the monomers, or subunits, of nucleic acids like DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid). The building blocks of nucleic acids, nucleotides are composed of a nitrogenous base, a five-carbon sugar (ribose or deoxyribose), and at least one phosphate group. Thus a nucleoside plus a phosphate group yields a nucleotide.