Nucleic acids are central to much of contemporary molecular science. This 2nd edition text integrates the chemistry and biology of the nucleic acids in an introductory yet authoritative format and sets the basics in the context of the expanding horizons set by modern structural biology, enzymology, drug discovery and biotechnology. The book is intended for graduate students of chemistry and biochemistry, final year undergraduates in chemistry and biochemistry, as well as researchers new to the field.