Hi, I was wondering if it was possible that there are free carbon atoms on a DNA ladder (at compound). I’m preparing to go back to day school to get a bachelor’s degree in biology.
Answer
Dear Jimmy
In the context of your image, this is not correct: each time a hydrogen atom is missing in the indicated positions. In chemistry, hydrogens are not always formally drawn in structural formulas in order not to make the representations unnecessarily complex.
A carbon atom will always strive for a situation where it has 8 bonding electrons. In general, this amounts to 4 bonds around the carbon atom. If only 3 are drawn, you can assume that there is still an undrawn fourth bond to hydrogen. There are situations where carbon only forms 3 bonds, but then there is always a loss or an acquisition of an electron, which gives the carbon atom a positive or a negative charge, respectively. These charges must be represented in the structural formula so that one knows that there is no hidden hydrogen involved.
I hope this answered your question and I wish you the best of luck with the Bachelor of Biology!
Regards
Geert-Jan
Answered by
Prof. Dr. Geert-Jan Graulus
(Bio)chemistry Protein-based materials Tissue regeneration biosensors
Agoralaan University Campus Building D BE-3590 Diepenbeek
http://www.uhasselt.be/
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