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Specialty Chemistry Forums => Biochemistry and Chemical Biology Forum => Topic started by: 2810713 on March 10, 2005, 08:30:01 AM

Title: Acid or a Base ?!!
Post by: 2810713 on March 10, 2005, 08:30:01 AM

 Hiya,
 See,  -NAs[DNA and RNA] contain both acidic and basic parts,
so how would you deside for its behavior i.e. acidic or basic??
How to compare the relative strengths of acid with a base???
Please , help...

hrushikesh

Title: Re:Acid or a Base ?!!
Post by: Mitch on March 11, 2005, 01:08:06 AM

The Phosphate will be acidic and depending on the nucleotide it will have a basic site.

The pKa values determine if it will be acidic or basic at a certain pH.

Title: Re:Acid or a Base ?!!
Post by: 2810713 on March 11, 2005, 04:59:37 AM

 Thanx, I am explaining what I have
 understood
   if pKa - PO4 is higher than the average pKb of Nbases in a DNA strand then the soln  would be basic and vice versa.
BUt , Mitch, U said that-
The Phosphate will be acidic and depending on the nucleotide it will have a basic site.  - what does this mean "site"???

The pKa values determine if it will be acidic or basic at a certain pH. - I think, this pH is the pH of solution before adding -NAs isn't it?

Please correct me where I've gone wrong, please...

hrushikesh