A nucleoside consists of a nitrogenous base covalently attached to a sugar (ribose or deoxyribose) but without the phosphate group. A nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base, a sugar (ribose or deoxyribose) and one to three phosphate groups.

What is difference between a nucleoside and a nucleotide?

Complete answer: Nucleotides consist of the components such as a nitrogenous base, sugar, and a phosphate group while the nucleosides contain only sugar and a base. ... A nucleoside consists of a nitrogenous base attached to a sugar(ribose or deoxyribose) with the help of a covalent bond.

How are nucleoside and nucleotide formed?

Nucleosides and nucleotides arise from substitutions on the ring structures of the parent bases. A nucleoside is formed from an oxygen–nitrogen glycosidic linkage of a pentose to a nitrogenous base. The pentose can be either D-ribose as in ribonucleic acid (RNA) or 2-deoxyribose as in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).