The monomer of nucleic acids is called a nucleotide. Each nucleotide consists of three components: a nitrogenous base, a five-carbon sugar (ribose in RNA and deoxyribose in DNA), and a phosphate group.
Nucleotides are the building blocks that link together to form the long chains of nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA. In DNA, nucleotides form a double helix structure, while in RNA, they typically exist as single strands. The sequence of these nucleotides encodes the genetic information necessary for the development and functioning of all living organisms.