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Chapter 7: Problem 42

Why would either covalent bonds or London forces be inappropriate for attaching the two strands of DNA to each other?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Covalent bonds and London forces are inappropriate for attaching the two strands of DNA as covalent bonds would create a highly stable, rigid structure, making replication inefficient, while London forces lack the stability needed to maintain genetic information. Instead, hydrogen bonds between nitrogenous bases provide a perfect balance of stability and flexibility for DNA's preservation and replication functions.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the structure of DNA

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is the genetic material found in all living organisms. Its structure is a double helix consisting of two antiparallel strands composed of nucleotides. These nucleotides are made up of a sugar (deoxyribose), a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base (adenine, thymine, guanine, or cytosine). The sugar-phosphate backbones are on the outside of the helix, while the nitrogenous bases are on the inside. The two strands of DNA are connected via hydrogen bonds between complementary base pairs: adenine forms bonds with thymine (A-T) and guanine bonds with cytosine (G-C).
02

Understand covalent bonds

Covalent bonds are strong chemical bonds formed by the sharing of electrons between two atoms. They usually occur between non-metal elements and create stable molecules, as the atoms share their electrons to achieve a full valence electron shell. Because of their strength, covalent bonds require significant energy to break.
03

Understand London forces

London dispersion forces, also known as van der Waals forces, are weak, temporary attractive forces caused by the random movement of electrons in atoms or molecules. These nonpolar forces occur between all types of atoms and molecules, are the weakest of the intermolecular forces, and can be easily broken.
04

Evaluate the appropriateness of covalent bonds for attaching DNA strands

Using covalent bonds to attach the two strands of DNA would create a highly stable, rigid structure. However, this rigidity would greatly limit DNA's ability to replicate, as the strong bonds would require a large amount of energy to break and separate the strands, which would be inefficient in the context of a living cell.
05

Evaluate the appropriateness of London forces for attaching DNA strands

While London forces are easy to break, they are far too weak to maintain the integrity of the DNA structure. DNA contains essential genetic information and must remain stable inside a cell; relying on only London dispersion forces would not provide the necessary stability, as the forces are temporary and weak, which could lead to strand separation and potential loss of genetic information.
06

Conclusion

Both covalent bonds and London forces are inappropriate for attaching the two strands of DNA to each other. Covalent bonds would create a structure that is too rigid and difficult to separate for replication, while London forces lack the stability needed to maintain the genetic information housed in DNA. The current structure of DNA, which uses hydrogen bonds between the nitrogenous bases, provides a perfect balance of stability and flexibility, allowing for the preservation and replication of genetic information in living organisms.

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