Question about nucleotides and phosphoric acid

[physicisttobe]

Hi everyone!

Is this sentence correct?

"Phosphoric acid is linked to the hydroxyl groups of the sugars via ether bonds"

I would say yes, but in the solutions this phrase is wrong and I'm a little bit confused. I think that's correct, isn't it?

 

[TeethWhitener]

Technically they’re esters. An ester is any linkage that has been formed through a hydroxyl by loss of a water molecule. The most familiar example is carboxylic esters, but in this case you have a phosphoric ester. In really old literature, you’ll occasionally see alkyl halides referred to as halide esters (e.g., butyl iodide would be butane hydriodic ester), reflecting the idea that they're formed from the dehydration reaction of the hydrogen halide with an alcohol.

 

[physicisttobe]

All right, thank you for your reply TeethWhitener!
So instead of ether bond there must be an ester bond, then it's correct.
I have mixed up the two.

 

[Borek]

Perhaps that's nitpicking, but I don't like the idea of "being linked to the hydroxyl group". Hydroxyl group reacted and no longer exists, so nothing can be linked to it.

 

[physicisttobe]

All right, thanks borek!