The human body is said to contain approximately 50.0 grams of DNA in the entire body. If the number of nucleotides in ONE STRAND of DNA is approximately 3.0 x 106, and the average molar mass of a nucleotide is 327 g/mol, what is the average molar mass of an entire DNA double helix?
To find the average molar mass of an entire DNA double helix, we need to first calculate the molar mass of one strand of DNA, and then multiply it by two. Here's how to solve the problem step-by-step:
Step 1: Calculate the molar mass of one strand of DNA.
Given that the number of nucleotides in one strand of DNA is approximately 3.0 x 10^6, and the average molar mass of a nucleotide is 327 g/mol, we can calculate the molar mass of one strand using the following formula:
Molar Mass of One Strand = (Number of Nucleotides) x (Average Molar Mass of Nucleotide)
Molar Mass of One Strand = (3.0 x 10^6) x (327 g/mol)
Step 2: Multiply the molar mass of one strand by two to calculate the molar mass of the entire DNA double helix.
Since DNA consists of two complementary strands, we need to multiply the molar mass of one strand by two to get the molar mass of the entire DNA double helix.
Molar Mass of Entire DNA Double Helix = 2 x (Molar Mass of One Strand)
Molar Mass of Entire DNA Double Helix = 2 x [(3.0 x 10^6) x (327 g/mol)]
Now you can perform the calculations to find the average molar mass of an entire DNA double helix.