Phosphoester
- The phosphorus variant of ester
It includes a phosphorous atom instead of carbon. We draw a phosphorus (P) with four attachments: a double-bonded oxygen, two alcohol groups, and an oxygen. We add an R group as the second bond of the oxygen atom.
Phosphoesters are most commonly found in the body as phosphodiesters meaning that instead of one of the alcohol groups, there is another O-R bond. Phosphodiesters are the bonds that link bases together to form nucleic acids (DNA and RNA).