The discussion revolves around the inability of adenine and cytosine to form stable pairs, focusing on the underlying reasons related to molecular bonding and structure. Participants explore the nature of hydrogen bonds and the significance of molecular shape in determining stability.
Some participants have provided insights into the reasons behind the instability of adenine and cytosine pairs, while others have raised questions about the significance of molecular duplication. The discussion is exploring multiple interpretations of these concepts without reaching a consensus.
Participants are navigating assumptions about molecular interactions and the importance of replication in biological contexts, with varying perspectives on what constitutes "importance" in nature.
It is not that they can't bond at all. It is just that the total bond strength is not very strong, so it is not stable. All bonds are hydrogen bonds, so to make a strong molecular bond there have to be many points of contact between points with opposite polarity. This will only occur if the shapes are complementary so that they fit together. The fact is that the shape of adenine and the shape of cytosine don't fit together very well. Thymine (or uracil in RNA) fit much better with adenine, providing many more points of hydrogen bonding and a much more stable bond.joejo said:hi I was curious Why can't adenine and cytosine pairs form? Like I know it doesn't happen but WHY?
Without the ability to duplicate, a successful molecule (ie. successful in surviving in its environment) would not proliferate. Successful molecules that duplicate themselves would proliferate. It is as simple as that.joejo said:my next ? is why is duplication important? is there any reason behind the importance of duplication/replication