cytosine
Also known as Cyt, Zytosin, Cytosin, 4-amino-2-hydroxypyrimidine, 4-amino-2(1H)-pyrimidinone, 4-amino-3H-pyrimidin-2-one, 4-Amino-2-oxo-1,2-dihydropyrimidine, 6-amino-1,2-dihydropyrimidin-2-one
Cytosine (symbol C or Cyt) is one of the four nucleotide bases found in DNA and RNA, along with adenine, guanine, and thymine (uracil in RNA). It is a pyrimidine derivative, with a heterocyclic aromatic ring and two substituents attached (an amine group at position 4 and a keto group at position 2). The nucleoside of cytosine is cytidine. In Watson–Crick base pairing, it forms three hydrogen bonds with guanine.
AI overview
Cytosine is one of the four basic building blocks of DNA and RNA, the molecules that carry genetic information in living organisms. It pairs with another base called guanine through chemical bonds, which is essential for how DNA stores and copies genetic instructions.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Chemical data
- Formula
- C4H5N3O
- Molecular weight
- 111.1 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 6-amino-1H-pyrimidin-2-one
- SMILES
- C1=C(NC(=O)N=C1)N
- InChIKey
- OPTASPLRGRRNAP-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- XLogP
- -1.7
- Polar surface area
- 67.5 Ų
- H-bond donors
- 2
- H-bond acceptors
- 2
- Formal charge
- 0
via PubChem
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Article
7 sectionsContents
- History
- Chemical reactions
- Biological function
- Theoretical aspects
- Notes
- References
- External links and citations
Cytosine (symbol C or Cyt) is one of the four nucleotide bases found in DNA and RNA, along with adenine, guanine, and thymine (uracil in RNA). It is a pyrimidine derivative, with a heterocyclic aromatic ring and two substituents attached (an amine group at position 4 and a keto group at position 2). The nucleoside of cytosine is cytidine. In Watson–Crick base pairing, it forms three hydrogen bonds with guanine.
==History== Cytosine was discovered and named by Albrecht Kossel and Albert Neumann in 1894 when it was hydrolyzed from calf thymus tissues. A structure was proposed in 1903, and was synthesized (and thus confirmed) in the laboratory in the same year.