nucleic acid
The nucleic acids, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), are one of the basic classes of macromolecules studied in biochemistry.  Nucleic acid, so called because of its prevalence in cellular nuclei, is the generic name of a family of biopolymers. The monomers are called nucleotides, and each consists of three components: a nitrogenous base (either a purine or a pyrimidine), a pentose sugar, and a phosphate group. Different nucleic acid types differ in the specific sugar found in their chain.