Question

Which relatively weak type of bond helps stabilize the three dimensional structure of large molecules like proteins and dna?

Answer 1

Hydrogen bonds

Step-by-step explanation:

Intermolecular forces, as its name implies, are the bonds that hold the molecules of a substance together. These forces are also called Van der Waals forces in honor of Dutch physicist Johannes Van der Waals, who researched and proposed the existence of these forces. Among these forces, the ones with the highest intensities are the hydrogen bonds. This type of interaction occurs when the molecule has a hydrogen (“positive pole”) attached to fluorine, nitrogen or oxygen, ie very electronegative elements (“negative poles”).

Hydrogen bonds, as well as other intermolecular forces are relatively weak, but hydrogen bonds are the most intense between them and help stabilize the three-dimensional structure of large molecules, such as proteins and DNA, as they provide bonding between the elements that make up these molecules.

Answer 2

Three-dimensional structure of large molecules like proteins and DNA is also known as their tertiary structure. Hydrogen bonds are the most common type of bond that helps stabilize these 3D structures.

Proteins in their tertiary structure might contain different types of bonds like disulfide bridges between the sulfhydryl groups on cysteine or salt bridges which are ionic interactions between positively and negatively charged sites on amino acid side chains.

The dominant tertiary structure for DNA is the double helix.