Intermolecular Interactions and Nucleic Acids

Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard is a German developmental biologist and 1995 Nobel Prize-winner.
Nüsslein-Volhard earned her PhD in 1974 from the University of Tübingen, where she studied protein-DNA interaction.

In today’s session on biochemistry, the students tested their knowledge of intermolecular interactions and nucleic acids.

We used the structure of DNA in order to differentiate intramolecular (covalent) bonding and intermolecular interactions, such as hydrogen bonding in base pairing. We then continued our discussion on organic structures. We discussed functional groups and identified which types of functional groups are able to participate in hydrogen bonding. The lesson concluded with a discussion on basic organic nomenclature. This will transition to a discussion on amino acids and proteins next time.