What Did Phoebus Levene Do
Although Levene’s Studies Encompassed Nearly Every Major Class of Organic Compounds, His Most Valuable Work Was on the Nucleic Acids. He Isolated the...
Although Levene’s studies encompassed nearly every major class of organic compounds, his most valuable work was on the nucleic acids. He isolated the nucleotides, the basic building blocks of the nucleic acid molecule, and in 1909 he isolated the five-carbon sugar d-ribose from the ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecule.
What was Phoebus Levene known for?
He was the first to identify DNA as a distinct molecule. Phoebus Levene was an organic chemist in the early 1900’s. He is perhaps best known for his incorrect tetranucleotide hypothesis of DNA.
What did Phoebus Levene discover in 1919?
He called this substance a nuclein, but it was later called nucleic acid. Then, 50 years later, in 1919, Russian biochemist Phoebus Levene proposed that nucleic acids were molecules made of phosphate, sugar, and four nitrogenous bases—adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T).
Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.
