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What is the chemical compound represented by RNA?

  1. Deoxyribonucleic acid

  2. Ribonucleic acid

  3. Ribonucleotide

  4. Deoxyribonucleotide

The correct answer is: Ribonucleic acid

Ribonucleic acid, commonly abbreviated as RNA, is a crucial molecule found in all living cells and plays important roles in various biological processes, including coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes. RNA is structurally different from DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) in that it contains ribose sugar instead of deoxyribose and has uracil as one of its nitrogenous bases instead of thymine. The term "ribonucleotide" refers specifically to the building blocks that make up RNA, while "deoxyribonucleotide" pertains to the building blocks of DNA. These terms describe different components but don’t accurately identify the overall structure and function of RNA itself. Since the question specifically asks for the chemical compound represented by RNA, ribonucleic acid is the precise term that characterizes this important molecule in molecular biology.