Although DNA and RNA belong to the same class of biological molecules, they have many differences in their structure and the location at which they are found.
Firstly, RNA is a single polynucleotide chain whereas DNA consists of two separate polynucleotide chains arranged in a double helix, held together via hydrogen bonds between the organic nitrogenous bases. DNA therefore has a large molecular mass, whereas in contrast RNA has a small molecular mass. Both DNA and RNA consist of a sugar phosphate backbone, however, RNA consists of the pentose sugar Ribose, whilst DNA consists of the pentose sugar Deoxyribose. Both DNA & RNA share organic nitrogenous bases, DNA consists of Adenine, Cytosine, Thymine, and Guanine. RNA on the other hand consists of Adenine, Cytosine, Guanine and Uracil in replace of Thymine. RNA comes in many forms, 3 in total, these include mRNA used for transcription, rRNA used for ribosomes and finally tRNA used in translation. In contrast DNA only has one basic form. In terms of stability, DNA is a chemically stable molecule whereas RNA is much less chemically stable. Finally, the locations of the molecules differ, for example, RNA is manufactured in the nucleus but found readily throughout the cell. Whereas DNA, is manufactured and found mostly within the nucleus, with some present in the mitochondria and chloroplasts of plant cells.
In conclusion, there are many differences between RNA and DNA which enable them to carry out their different functions