<P> Nucleotides are organic molecules that serve as the monomer units for forming the nucleic acid polymers deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), both of which are essential biomolecules in all life - forms on Earth . Nucleotides are the building blocks of nucleic acids; they are composed of three subunit molecules: a nitrogenous base, a five - carbon sugar (ribose or deoxyribose), and at least one phosphate group . They are also known as phosphate nucleotides . </P> <P> A nucleoside is a nitrogenous base and a 5 - carbon sugar . Thus a nucleoside plus a phosphate group yields a nucleotide . </P>

The three major components in a nucleotide are