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Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the genetic material of all living organisms. Its double helix structure is composed of nucleotides. Each nucleotide has three parts: a nitrogenous base, deoxyribose sugar (5-carbons), and phosphate group. Phosphodiester bonds join the nucleotides together. The deoxyribose sugar and phosphate make up the backbone of the DNA. There are four different nitrogenous bases in DNA, divided into two groups: pyrimidines and purines. Adenine and guanine are purines and are composed of two carbon-nitrogen rings. The pyrimidines, which only contain one carbon-nitrogen ring, are cytosine and thymine. One purine and one pyrimidine are paired to form a base pair (A-T & G-C). The deoxyribose sugar and phosphate make up the backbone of the DNA, while base pairs join two nucleotide sequences to form the double helix structure as shown in the figure below.