Here's a breakdown:

* Nucleic acids are complex biomolecules that carry genetic information. The two main types are DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid).

* Nucleotides are the monomers (subunits) that make up nucleic acids. They consist of three components:

* A nitrogenous base: Adenine (A), Guanine (G), Cytosine (C), Thymine (T) in DNA, and Uracil (U) in RNA.

* A pentose sugar: Deoxyribose in DNA, and Ribose in RNA.

* A phosphate group: This is the acidic part of the nucleotide.

Nucleotides link together to form long chains called polynucleotides, which make up DNA and RNA.