Two antiparallel strands bound by ____ bonds between nitrogenous bases.

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Multiple Choice

Two antiparallel strands bound by ____ bonds between nitrogenous bases.

Explanation:
Hydrogen bonds hold the two antiparallel DNA strands together by linking complementary bases across the strands. Adenine pairs with thymine using two hydrogen bonds, while guanine pairs with cytosine using three. This bonding is specific and weaker than covalent bonds, which keeps the sugar–phosphate backbones tied within each strand, not between them. The overall stability also comes from base stacking via hydrophobic interactions, but that stacking does not bind the strands together. Ionic bonds aren’t used for base pairing in DNA. So the bonds between the nitrogenous bases that bind the two strands are hydrogen bonds.

Hydrogen bonds hold the two antiparallel DNA strands together by linking complementary bases across the strands. Adenine pairs with thymine using two hydrogen bonds, while guanine pairs with cytosine using three. This bonding is specific and weaker than covalent bonds, which keeps the sugar–phosphate backbones tied within each strand, not between them. The overall stability also comes from base stacking via hydrophobic interactions, but that stacking does not bind the strands together. Ionic bonds aren’t used for base pairing in DNA. So the bonds between the nitrogenous bases that bind the two strands are hydrogen bonds.

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