Definition

A chemical compound that is a modified form of uracil, containing bromine, and is known to cause mutations. It acts similarly to thymine in DNA pairing with adenine and occasionally with guanine.

Example

Researchers studied the effects of bromouracil on DNA replication in their experiments.

Conversation

Have you ever heard of bromouracil?

Yeah, I think it's related to DNA and RNA, right?

That's right! It's a derivative of uracil and can actually pair with adenine.

Interesting! I didn't know it could also pair with guanine sometimes.

Root Explanation

Bromouracil is formed from "bromo-" (from Greek "bromos", meaning bromine) and "uracil" (from Latin "uracil", a pyrimidine base found in RNA). The word refers to a compound that includes bromine and is related to uracil, a component of nucleic acids.

Memory Tip

Think of 'bromo-' as relating to bromine, and 'uracil' as a part of RNA — this helps you remember that bromouracil is a compound that includes bromine and is connected to RNA.

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