Question

Chemistry If one synthesized every possible DNA molecule, each with 20 subunits, how much would your collection of molecules weigh? the average molecular mass of a DNA subunit is 165 g mol−1.

Answer 1

Answer:

The total mass is 6.03 × 10⁻⁹ g

Explanation:

There are 4 nucleobases that can take the place of each subunit: adenine,  guanine, cytosine and thymine. If each DNA molecule has 20 subunits there are 4²⁰ possible combinations. The total mass is

$4^{20}$ molecules ×$\frac{20subunits}{1molecule}$ ×$\frac{1mole f unit}{6.022 x10^23}$ ×$\frac{165g}{1 mole f subunits}$ =6.03 ×10$^{-9}$ g