This page is thought to be a personal reminder on how to draw nucleobases in LaTeX with the chemfig package. In the reference manual there is just the guanine example. Since we want to have all DNA and RNA bases, here is the complete list of them!

Standard nucleobases

My suggestion is to set \setchemfig{atom sep=2.em} before the figures, because with LaTeX’s default parameters the bonds are too long and not that aestetic.

• Guanine: \chemfig{*6((-H_2N)=N-*5(-\chembelow{N}{H}-=N-)=-(=O)-HN-[,,2])}
  Click to reveal.

  
• Adenine: \chemfig{*6(=N-*5(-\chembelow{N}{H}-=N-)=-(-NH_2)=N-[,2])}
  Click to reveal.

  
• Cytosine: \chemfig{*6(-\chembelow{N}{H}-(=O)-N=(-NH_2)-=)
  Click to reveal.

  
• Thymine: \chemfig{*6(-\chembelow{N}{H}=-NH-(=O)-(-H_3C)=)}
  Click to reveal.

  
• Uracil: \chemfig{*6(-\chembelow{N}{H}-(=O)-NH-(=O)-=)
  Click to reveal.

  
• Hypoxanthine:¹ \chemfig{*6(=N-*5(-N-=N-)=-(=O)=HN-[,,2])}
  Click to reveal.

  

Modified nucleobases

• Adenosine triphosphate:²
  First we need to set \setchemfig{cram width=2pt} to draw a nicer sugar base.
  Then, we define the phosphate group \definesubmol{a}{-P(=[::-90,0.9]O)(-[::90,0.9]HO)-}
  Finally, we can draw ATP: \chemfig{[:-54]*5((--[::60]O([::-42]!aO([::-0]!aO([::0]!aHO))))<(-OH)-[,,,,line width=2pt](-OH)>(-N*5(-=N-*6(-(-NH_2)=N-=N-)=_-))-O-)}
  Click to reveal.

  
• Guanosine triphosphate:
  First we need to set \setchemfig{cram width=2pt} to draw a nicer sugar base.
  Then, we define the phosphate group \definesubmol{a}{-P(=[::-90,0.9]O)(-[::90,0.9]HO)-}
  Finally, we can draw GTP: \chemfig{[:-54]*5((--[::60]O([::-60]!aO([::-60]!aO([::60]!aHO))))<(-OH)-[,,,,line width=2pt](-OH)>(-N*5(-=N-*6(-(=O)-[,,,1]NH-(-H_2N)=N-)=_-))-O-)}
  Click to reveal.

  

Work in progress…