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search Skeletal formula with numbering convention Ball-and-stick
molecular model Space-filling molecular model CAS number
120-73-0 YesY PubChem 1044 ChemSpider 1015 YesY KEGG C15587 YesY
MeSH Purine ChEBI CHEBI:17258 YesY Jmol-3D images Image 1
Molecular formula C5H4N4 Molar mass 120.11 g mol−1 Melting point
214 °C (417 °F; 487 K) Infobox references  A purine is a
heterocyclic aromatic organic compound. It consists of a
pyrimidine ring fused to an imidazole ring. Purines, which
include substituted purines and their tautomers, are the most
widely occurring nitrogen-containing heterocycle in nature.[1]
Purines and pyrimidines make up the two groups of nitrogenous
bases, including the two groups of nucleotide bases. Two of the
four deoxyribonucleotides and two of the four ribonucleotides,
the respective building-blocks of DNA and RNA, are purines.
Notable purines[edit]  There are many naturally occurring
purines. Two of the five bases in nucleic acids,