The specific
association between two complementary strands of
nucleic acids that results from the formation of hydrogen bonds between the base components of
the
nucleotides of each strand: A=T and G=C in
DNA, A=U and G=C (and sometimes G=U) in
RNA (the lines indicate the number of hydrogen bonds). Single-stranded nucleic acid molecules
can adopt a partially double-stranded structure through intrastrand base pairing.
Source:
PAC, 1992, 64, 143
(Glossary for chemists of terms used in biotechnology (IUPAC Recommendations 1992))
on page 147
PAC, 1993, 65, 2003
(Glossary for chemists of terms used in toxicology (IUPAC Recommendations 1993))
on page 2017
Cite as:
IUPAC. Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. (the "Gold Book"). Compiled by
A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford (1997).
XML on-line corrected version: http://goldbook.iupac.org (2006-) created by M. Nic,
J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN 0-9678550-9-8.
https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.
