What is the primary function of nucleic acids?

Genes and nucleic acids differ in that genes are made up of proteins called purin and pirimidin.

No, the nucleic acid is a collection of signals or rules that determine which to express first and which to express later depending on the environment of the cell.

For instance, when a cell needs glucose and its internal glucose stores are sufficient, the cell's metabolites or glucose send a signal to the nuclear membrane, which houses nucleic acid, activating or deactivating a set of rules that directs the cell to either stop pumping in glucose or stop pumping it in.

However, if you're wondering how a nucleic acid functions in the absence of a cell, I believe it functions like a message that isn't stated.

Its roles in a living cell are:

Please have a look at my recommended book, Mark's Biochemistry by Harper; it's fairly complicated.

Nucleic acids are primarily used by cells to store and transfer genetic information.