Which components make up a nucleotide?

### Why this is right A nucleotide combines a nitrogenous base, a five-carbon sugar, and phosphate. The corresponding molecule without phosphate is a nucleoside. ### The other options - **A nitrogenous base and a pentose sugar only**: this describes a nucleoside. - **A pentose sugar and phosphate only**: this omits the base. - **An amino acid, a sugar, and phosphate**: amino acids are protein building blocks, not nucleotide components. ### Terms - **Pentose**: a sugar containing five carbon atoms. - **Nucleoside**: a base attached to a sugar, without phosphate. ### Remember Adding phosphate to a nucleoside produces a nucleotide.