What represents the free floating nucleotides used in DNA replication?

The term that represents the free floating nucleotides used in DNA replication is dNTP. Deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates, or dNTPs, are the building blocks for DNA synthesis. They consist of a deoxyribose sugar, a nitrogenous base (adenine, thymine, cytosine, or guanine), and three phosphate groups. During the process of DNA replication, these nucleotides are incorporated into the growing DNA strand by the enzyme DNA polymerase.

The choice of dNTP is specifically appropriate in this context because it refers to the individual nucleotide unit as it exists in solution before being added to the DNA strand. While dNTPs can also refer to these molecules collectively, in the context of representing the free-floating units, the singular form dNTP emphasizes the role of each individual nucleotide during the replication process. This is crucial because the energy required for DNA synthesis comes from the cleavage of two phosphate groups from each dNTP, which powers the formation of phosphodiester bonds between nucleotides in the new DNA strand.