Questions: What do you think would happen to water and DNA if we exchanged all hydrogen bonds with other permanent dipole-dipole forces? a) DNA would become less stable. Water would boil at a lower temperature. b) DNA would become more stable. Water would turn to ice. c) DNA would hydrolyze into its monomers. Water would never freeze. d) DNA would become more stable. Water would boil at a higher temperature.

What do you think would happen to water and DNA if we exchanged all hydrogen bonds with other permanent dipole-dipole forces?
a) DNA would become less stable. Water would boil at a lower temperature.
b) DNA would become more stable. Water would turn to ice.
c) DNA would hydrolyze into its monomers. Water would never freeze.
d) DNA would become more stable. Water would boil at a higher temperature.

Transcript text: What do you think would happen to water and DNA if we exchanged all hydrogen bonds with other permanent dipole-dipole forces? a) DNA would become less stable. Water would boil at a lower temperature. b) DNA would become more stable. Water would turn to ice. c) DNA would hydrolyze into its monomers. Water would never freeze. d) DNA would become more stable. Water would boil at a higher temperature.

Solution

Solution Steps

Step 1: Understanding Hydrogen Bonds in Water and DNA

Hydrogen bonds are a type of weak interaction that occurs between a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to an electronegative atom (like oxygen or nitrogen) and another electronegative atom. In water, hydrogen bonds are responsible for its high boiling point and unique properties. In DNA, hydrogen bonds between complementary bases (adenine-thymine and guanine-cytosine) stabilize the double helix structure.

Step 2: Analyzing the Effect of Replacing Hydrogen Bonds

If hydrogen bonds were replaced with other permanent dipole-dipole forces, the strength and nature of these interactions would change. Permanent dipole-dipole interactions are generally weaker than hydrogen bonds. This would affect both water and DNA:

Water: The boiling point of water is high due to strong hydrogen bonds. Replacing these with weaker dipole-dipole interactions would lower the boiling point, making it easier for water to transition to a gaseous state.
DNA: The stability of the DNA double helix relies on hydrogen bonds. Replacing them with weaker interactions would make the DNA less stable, potentially leading to denaturation or easier separation of the strands.

Step 3: Evaluating the Options

Given the analysis:

Option (a) states that DNA would become less stable and water would boil at a lower temperature. This aligns with the expected effects of replacing hydrogen bonds with weaker dipole-dipole interactions.
Option (b) suggests DNA would become more stable and water would turn to ice, which contradicts the expected effects.
Option (c) suggests DNA would hydrolyze and water would never freeze, which is not directly related to the change in bonding type.
Option (d) suggests DNA would become more stable and water would boil at a higher temperature, which is incorrect based on the analysis.