There is a certain type of chemical bonding between the paired nucleotides on each strand...
BIOLOGY
SAT 2021
There is a certain type of chemical bonding between the paired nucleotides on each strand of DNA which helps maintain the double-helix structure of DNA by attracting each strand to the other. What type of bonding is responsible for this?
- A. Ionic
- B. Covalent
- C. Phosphodiester
- D. Hydrogen
Correct Answer: D. Hydrogen
Explanation
The correct answer is hydrogen bonding, and each nucleotide attracts its pairing mate because they have corresponding number of hydrogen bonds. Adenine is attracted to thymine to create two hydrogen bonds, and cytosine is attracted to guanine to form three hydrogen bonds. While phosphodiester bonds are very important in creating the strand of DNA, they are not the bond that keeps the two strands in the double helix structure.
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