The stability of the DNA double-helix is due to
A) hydrogen bonds between sugar moieties.
B) hydrogen bonds between complementary bases.
C) hydrogen bonds between complementary bases, hydrophobic interactions and favorable van der Waals radii.
D) covalent bonds between the two antiparallel DNA strands.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The stability of the DNA double-helix is due to hydrogen bonds between complementary bases, hydrophobic interactions and favorable van der Waals radii. While hydrogen bonds also occur between sugar moieties, they do not contribute significantly to the stability of the double helix. Covalent bonds between the two antiparallel DNA strands are limited to the phosphodiester bonds between the nucleotides and do not contribute to the stability of the helix as a whole.

The Stability of the DNA Double-Helix Is Due to