these are for my study guide -
1. what type of bonds hold the dna bases together and are they weak or strong
My answer: hydrogen and weak
To determine what type of bonds hold the DNA bases together, you can start by understanding the structure of DNA. DNA is a double helix composed of two strands held together by hydrogen bonds.
The DNA molecule consists of four different bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T). These bases are specifically paired with each other in a complementary manner, where adenine forms a hydrogen bond with thymine, and guanine forms a hydrogen bond with cytosine.
Hydrogen bonds are weak chemical bonds that form between a hydrogen atom and a more electronegative atom, such as nitrogen or oxygen. In the case of DNA, the hydrogen bonds are formed between the nitrogenous bases.
So, to answer your question, the bonds that hold the DNA bases together are hydrogen bonds, and they are relatively weak compared to stronger covalent bonds or ionic bonds.