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Multiple Choice
One turn of a DNA sequence is comprised of 15% adenine (A). If the bonding energies of A–T and G–C are 24 kJ/mol and 18 kJ/mol respectively, calculate the approximate total bonding energy in this one turn.
A
110 kJ/mol
B
432 kJ/mol
C
222 kJ/mol
D
198 kJ/mol
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand that in DNA, adenine (A) pairs with thymine (T) and guanine (G) pairs with cytosine (C). The percentage of adenine will equal the percentage of thymine, and the percentage of guanine will equal the percentage of cytosine.
Since adenine (A) makes up 15% of the sequence, thymine (T) will also make up 15%. Therefore, the total percentage of A-T pairs is 30%.
The remaining percentage of the DNA sequence will be composed of G-C pairs. Since A-T pairs make up 30%, G-C pairs will make up 70% of the sequence.
Calculate the contribution of A-T pairs to the total bonding energy by multiplying the percentage of A-T pairs (30%) by the bonding energy of an A-T pair (24 kJ/mol).
Calculate the contribution of G-C pairs to the total bonding energy by multiplying the percentage of G-C pairs (70%) by the bonding energy of a G-C pair (18 kJ/mol). Add the contributions from both A-T and G-C pairs to find the total bonding energy for one turn of the DNA sequence.