Final answer:
Option C is correct: An ultraviolet photon has more energy than an infrared photon. Infrared photons cannot readily break bonds in DNA, and all photons travel at the speed of light in a vacuum.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to the question is C: An ultraviolet photon has more energy than does an infrared photon. This is because photon energy increases with frequency, and ultraviolet (UV) light has a higher frequency than infrared (IR) light. To contrast, while U V light carries more energy and can break bonds in molecules, IR light has lower photon energies, is strongly absorbed by water molecules, and does not significantly alter atoms and molecules. IR is mostly emitted and absorbed by molecules between closely spaced energy states. In terms of speed, all photons, whether ultraviolet or infrared, travel at the same speed in a vacuum, which is the speed of light.
Option A is incorrect because infrared photons do not have enough energy to readily break bonds in nucleic acids like DNA; it typically requires the higher energy of UV photons to cause such damage. Option B is incorrect because photons are electrically neutral and do not have a charge. Option D is incorrect because, in a vacuum, all forms of electromagnetic radiation, including ultraviolet and infrared photons, travel at the same speed, which is the speed of light.