The hyperchromic effect refers to:
A) an increase in the absorbance of light at 260 nm upon denaturation of DNA.
B) a maximum rate of denaturation versus temperature for double_ helical DNA.
C) the increase in the melting temperatures (Tm) of DNA with increasing guanine_cytosine content.
D) an increase in the absorbance of light at 260 nm when DNA_RNA hybrids are annealed.
E) none of the above.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The hyperchromic effect is the increase in absorbance of light at 260 nm upon denaturation of DNA. This occurs because the denatured DNA strands have a higher molar extinction coefficient at 260 nm than the double-stranded DNA. This effect is often used to study DNA melting curves and determine the denaturation temperature (Tm) of DNA.

The Hyperchromic Effect Refers To