| Base of difference | DNA | RNA |
| Full Name | Full name of DNA is Deoxyribonucleic Acid. | Full Name of RNA is Ribonucleic Acid. |
| Bases | Bases in DNA are ATGC which means A-Adenine,T-Thymine,G-Guanine and C-Cytosine. | Bases in RNA are AGCU which is A-Adenine,G-Guanine,C-Cytosine and U-Uracil |
| Base Pairs | There are two pairs(i)A and T(Adenine and Thymine)(ii)C and G(Cytosine and Guanine) | There are two pairs(i)A and U(Adenine and Uracil)(ii)C and G(Cytosine and Guanine) |
| Location | Basicaly DNA found in nucleus, witha small quantity of DNA also present in mitochondria. | RNA found in nucleolus and then it mvoes to specialised regions of the cytoplasm depending on the type of RNA formed. |
| Effect of UV Sensitivity | DNA is mainly vulnerable to damage by ultraviolet light. | RNA is more resistant to damage from UV light than DNA. |
| Function | DNA mainly replicates and stores the genetic information. We can say that its basically blueprint for all genetic information contained within an organism. | On the other hand RNA will convert genetic information in DNA to a format which used to build proteins and after that it moves it to ribosomal protein factories. |
| Structure | DNA consists of two strands, arranged in a double helix. These strands are made up of subunits called nucleotides. Each nucleotide contains a phosphate, a 5-carbon sugar molecule and a nitrogenous base. | RNA only has one strand, but like DNA, is made up of nucleotides. RNA strands are shorter than DNA strands. RNA sometimes forms a secondary double helix structure, but only intermittently. |
| Length | DNA is longer polymer than RNA to understand this we will take example of chromosome is single long DNA molecule which is several centimetres in length when unravelled. | RNA molecules is shorter in length when we compare this with DNA polymers. A large RNA molecule might only be a few thousand base pairs long. |
| Sugar | The sugar in DNA is deoxyribose, which contains one less hydroxyl group than RNA’s ribose. | RNA contains ribose sugar molecules, without the hydroxyl modifications of deoxyribose. |
| Reactivity | Due to its deoxyribose sugar, which contains one less oxygen-containing hydroxyl group, DNA is a more stable molecule than RNA, which is useful for a molecule which has the task of keeping genetic information safe. | RNA, containing a ribose sugar, is more reactive than DNA and is not stable in alkaline conditions. RNA’s larger helical grooves mean it is more easily subject to attack by enzymes. |